


In regards to love: A Trans-Siberian Tale (ACT 1)

by LenaLawlipop



Series: In regards to love: A Trans-Siberian Tale [1]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: AU: murder in the orient express but with different plot, Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, orphan Victor with Lilia and Yakov as adoptive parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-05
Updated: 2018-11-24
Packaged: 2019-07-23 09:25:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 31,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16156238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LenaLawlipop/pseuds/LenaLawlipop
Summary: Life aboard the most important train of the country can sound exciting, exotic, and romantic; definitely no routine. Yet that’s all Victor has ever known, and grateful as he is, meeting so many passengers has instilled in him an itch for traveling he can’t quite scratch. However, when he meets private detective Yuuri Katsuki, everything he knows takes a turn for the unexpected. As Yakov falls under suspicion for Lilia’s sudden disappearance, Victor and Yuuri will have to untangle the truth from amidst the passengers’ lies, the crew’s messy feelings, and their own developing relationship to find her.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, everyone!
> 
> I'm pleased to bring to you all a new fic, this time a mystery/detective kind of story, which I hope you enjoy! I've been working on this for the Live and Love YoI Big Bang, and the amazing artist which will do the art for it, is [Dyeingdoll](https://dyeingdoll.tumblr.com/). 
> 
> Without further ado, let's get on with the show!

# Prologue

It wasn't snowing.

It wasn't snowing _yet_ , Victor thought. But it would. He was sure of that. For now, though, he was glad it wasn't snowing, because no matter how beautiful snow looked sometimes, it was annoying and it slowed down his work. It stuck to his shoes, muddled the floors, and he distinctly remembered the feeling of it trickling slowly but surely into old battered boots, a size or two smaller than he needed as a kid. If he stood outside for too long, it would come to a point where he wouldn’t be able to feel his toes. But he didn’t have to worry about that anymore, he mused, adjusting his gloves over his fingers, and setting out to work. 

He helped Mila haul pillows and bedsheets into the empty and cold train, hoping they would turn the electricity on already. There was barely any light coming from the station's lamps and the sun hadn't risen yet so the car was in the dark, and if they didn’t hurry up with making the beds, they wouldn’t be able to turn on the heating in time.

It was a tough job, especially in winter, but Victor had done this almost his entire life. He was grateful for it. Or, he would be, if...

"Vitya!"

Victor snapped his head up from the bags he was picking up and looked around. From one of the car's windows, Yakov looked at him gruffly. He smiled at him.

"Yes, Yakov?" he said as sweetly as possible. The old man didn't bother reacting.

"Are the beds made yet?"

Victor thought the answer was pretty obvious, considering Yakov wasn't blind and could perfectly see the blankets still in their bags, some of them in Victor's arms, some of them in Mila's. He didn't point this out, however, not wanting to sass him so early in the morning. He shrugged, a bit carelessly, nearly dropping one of the pillows. He made sure it was safe in Mila’s hands before answering.

"Ehh... almost!"

"The food will be here in a minute, Lilia wants you to help her sort the chocolates and the cookies."

"Yes, Yakov!"

He _was_ grateful for his job. For his life. He really was. He just wished it wasn't all coming undone without him being able to do anything about it.

He’d lived his entire life linked to the train in one way or another. As a kid, he’d sold newspapers and sweets in the stations, scavenging and occasionally pickpocketing in an effort to survive the harsh winters. After meeting the Feltsmans, he had instead learned how to clean rooms, change sheets, how to deal with difficult passengers and attend to their whimsical requests. How to care for others aside from himself.

He’d joined the train’s crew when he was very young. Georgi had joined later, a thirteen year old kid who thought he had the world wrapped around his little finger just because his father was a renowned local trader. Solving their differences had been an adventure on its own, but by the time Mila’s mother had brought her over, they had managed to just about tolerate each other.

Mila’s mother hadn’t been able to work in the train for long before a particularly cold winter had taken her away. With nowhere to go, Mila had stayed with them, alone in the world at the tender age of twelve. Much like they had done with Victor, the Feltsmans had taken her in until she was able to live on her own.

They had never formalized an adoption, not really. Victor’s only memory of his biological family rested on his own name, but it was none that his new family had ever recognized. 

Nikiforov…

Mila, having finished with the beds she was making, interrupted his thoughts by snatching a pillow from his hands.

“Didn’t Yakov tell you to hurry? I won’t cover for you this time,” she grimaced. “I saw Lilia when I was getting the bedsheets from the cleaning company, earlier, and she was _not_ happy…”

“Right, sorry,” Victor smiled. “I’ll finish here and…”

“I’ll do it,” she insisted. “I don’t want them to lash out at passengers, if at all possible…”

“Yakov and Lilia wouldn’t…”

“You think? You know how much they’ve been arguing lately,” she muttered.

For a moment, no one spoke. Mila checked that both beds in the compartment had sheets, pillows and towels, and then sighed. A shiver ran down Victor’s spine as she spoke next.

“Do you think they’ll be okay?”

“I’m sure they’ll solve their differences, Mila. Don’t worry about it.”

“What if they…?”

“They’ve been married for over twenty years… I know Lilia is tired of the life on the train, but even so…”

“Well, in any case, you better go see what she needed. I can manage here.”

“I will. Thanks, Mila.”

The cold air didn’t surprise Victor when he jumped off the train and looked around for the dining car. It was being moved, apparently, so he waited. As he did, Lilia came walking with a bunch of boxes. He hurried to help her, also not in the least surprised when she made a fuss about being able to carry her own boxes. When they both entered the dining car, Lilia already snapping instructions about how to distribute the cookies between the compartments, and rambling about how she hoped they had ordered enough teabags, he couldn’t help but wonder if Mila wasn’t, perhaps, more right than he’d like to admit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you've enjoyed my story :D
> 
> If you did, please consider leaving kudos or a comment, they're greatly appreciated! If you want to yell with me and share more headcanons for these two dorks, you can find me at my tumblr, [kyokotsukuyomi](http://kyokotsukuyomi.tumblr.com/), the comments section down below, or any of the links in my profile. The lovely artist who did the art for this fic is Dyeingdoll, you can find her on her [tumblr](https://dyeingdoll.tumblr.com/)! Don't be shy!
> 
> Love,
> 
> ~Lena
> 
> P.S.: the art will be embedded on the chapter where the scene happens, no worries ;)


	2. Chapter 1: Back home.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor saw him first, and called him, making Yuuri turn on the spot and raise a hand to wave at him. The conductor hurriedly ran closer, and Yuuri pointedly ignored what his heart was doing at the sight.

****

# Chapter 1: Back home.

****

Yuuri wasn't usually late for anything. His anxiety was usually enough to keep him in check, arriving either a few minutes earlier or just in time. This time wasn't any different.

The station was barely coming alive by the time he arrived, but that wasn’t new either. The train departed extremely early, and the colder the weather got, the more passengers that chose to take the next train.

Yuuri would gladly be one of those passengers, if he wasn't making a week long trip. In these cases, he'd reasoned with himself many times, it didn't matter how cold it was. What mattered was getting started as soon as possible. And granted, for the longest time, that had been his main motivation. Getting home as soon as possible, seeing his family, having dinner with them again, surrounded by the warmth and the comforting smells of _home_.

Until recently.

He hadn't told his parents yet, although he was pretty sure that Minako-sensei had noticed something had changed. And it had. It had, because now Yuuri was not only taking the earliest train, he was also making sure he got a specific car every time. Not that his parents, or anyone back home for that matter, felt the need to revise his tickets like they used to do when he was a child traveling alone for the first time. No, not anymore, thankfully. But if they did, they would surely see a pattern. He could hide this from them, but not to himself.

It would be impossible to deny it, he mused, as a small smile set on his face when he approached the train station, a good half an hour earlier than he needed to. He watched the employees move around, arranging things and loading the train with food.

Victor saw him first, and called him, making Yuuri turn on the spot and raise a hand to wave at him. The conductor hurriedly ran closer, and Yuuri pointedly ignored what his heart was doing at the sight.

"Yuuri! What a delight to see you once more." he winked. Yuuri laughed, feeling his cheeks heat up.  
"It's good to be back, Victor."  
"Back on the train or going back home?" he teased, and Yuuri blinked.  
"Both, actually. I've spent so much time traveling with you guys that I feel very at ease in the train. Please take care of me this time too." he bowed his head slightly, which seemed to confuse Victor for a moment. He tilted his head, a soft blush covering his nose.  
"You, er… The sentiment is mutual, of course," he touched a gloved finger to his lips in a way Yuuri thought was rather cute, and winked. “We’re all always happy to see you travel with us. You’re part of the family now,” he added, softly, and Yuuri couldn’t help but smile.  
"You’re too nice. In any case, I wouldn't want to keep you from your job. It seems Miss Babicheva is looking for you." he noted, pointing to where she was, walking towards them.  
"Mila!"  
"Hello, Yuuri!" she waved apologetically, ignoring Victor's pout "I'm afraid we need Victor for now, but don't worry, he'll be all yours once the train departs, as always! You know the rules, no kissing while on the job! Or where the boss can see, for that matter."

It looked like Victor was about to argue, but then he sighed, and shrugged. She didn't give either of them time to either confirm or deny this as she pretty much dragged Victor back to the train, leaving Yuuri slightly flustered in the platform. He shook his head after a moment, however, returning to the inside of the station, where it was slightly warmer.

It wasn't really a surprise that the rest of the crew thought they were together. In the last few trips Yuuri had made, it had been rather obvious they liked each other. It wouldn't have been appropriate, however, for them to think of pursuing anything beyond the small, isolated world of the train, and Yuuri wasn't even sure that Victor would want to. He didn't talk much about his family, but he seemed to have strong ties to the train and its crew.

As Yuuri waited, the sun rising slowly, more and more passengers started to arrive. They all shared tired eyes and quiet whispers, most of them too sleepy to really talk to each other, but other than that they were pretty different.

Two siblings, bickering in a foreign language, and a friend who seemed to be trying to calm them down were chattering nearby, all of them dressed in tight warm clothes of bright colors. Although sleepy, their bags and bright eyes told tales of having spent many a roadtrip together. Yuuri silently wished them a happy stay in Russia, a place where the winter weather didn’t seem welcoming to foreigners, but whose people more than made up for that.

An extravagant man with dyed hair and round glasses was reading, sat on the window ledge and idly playing with a tag on his luggage. It was difficult to say if he was a local or not, as he seemed very at ease, unlike the two younger boys on the other side of the main waiting room of the station.

They were listening with a forced smile to an obnoxious man bragging about his fiancée, an admittedly beautiful woman standing next to him, pale enough to be Russian, but with distinctly North-American features. All of them, really... American, Yuuri wondered? He glanced towards them once more, but they were talking too quietly for him to pick up the words, and he didn’t fancy getting caught in their conversation.

A young woman was sitting on the chairs closer to the door, next to a muscular man. Both their features and their greetings when Yuuri walked past them told him they were definitely locals. His own origins were more than clear from his looks, but he was usually proud of his knowledge of the Russian language. The woman smiled appreciatively when she heard his reply, and Yuuri hesitated only for a second before smiling as well. 

Her blond hair was tied on a loose ponytail, some locks falling on her face, and she wasn’t wearing any makeup. She looked a little tired, but alert, and so did the man next to her. He was just as blond, stoic and calm. Both of them wore heavy winter coats, gloves and scarves. He stared at Yuuri intensely until he walked away, with a small shiver of uneasiness. 

The door reopened just as he was contemplating where to sit, and soon after, a hand grasped his shoulder, warm and strong. He turned around.

"Yuuri!"  
"Phichit, my friend!" he exclaimed, accepting the hug he was being offered, and smiling widely at the man in front of him. "It's been so long, how have you been?"  
"Too long indeed!" Phichit laughed, looking at him carefully "You look great, Yuuri. It's a surprise to find you so far from home! I've been traveling as well, I came to Russia to report on a sports event... I was only a student when we first met, but even now that I have a job, I still have much to learn about the world. How about you, what brought you to Saint Petersburg?"  
"I've been doing a lot of work here, as a private detective. I can't complain, even if it means taking long trips. Thankfully, my clients often pay for accommodation, transportation and the like."

Phichit nodded along the explanation, smiling warmly.

"Well, it seems like we'll be traveling together then!" he beamed.  
"You're also headed home, I assume?"  
"Yes... it will take a while to get there, but it'll be good to be home."

Yuuri had never been to Thailand. He and Phichit had met when the latter was just a student in a prestigious university in the States, and Yuuri had been there for a job. Phichit had proved himself invaluable in untangling that particular case, providing decisive evidence and digging up clues, even if not entirely on purpose. He was a young, idealistic man, and Yuuri had considered him a friend from the start. It was a pleasant surprise to meet him again, here of all places.

They talked animatedly about their lives after taking separate paths, and time flew in that particular, beautiful way that it always did when Yuuri was having fun. He walked with Phichit back to the platform when they saw the rest of the passengers trickle outside, and the sight of the train greeted them. The sun was barely shining, light scattering around the white, blue and reds of the outside of the train; the frosted windows, and the puffs of warm air that swirled out of the open doors. Not far away, station employees delivered crates of coal, while a conductor sneakily tried to grab some more without anyone noticing. They were far away, and Yuuri couldn’t be sure who it was. Perhaps…?

Mila met them there. She smiled at him.

"Yuuri, such a heartbreaker! I didn't know you already had a partner!" she insinuated, and Yuuri blushed, shaking his head.  
"Please stop, Mila Tarasovna. Phichit is just a good friend."  
"Right!" she laughed "You wouldn't do that to Vitya anyway. Let me get see your tickets, please? Also, I've told you a million times to just call me Mila!" she took the papers in her gloved hands, and examined them briefly, smile always present. She then turned to Phichit. "Chulanont Phichit..." she mused to herself, nodding as she made sure everything was in order. "Perfect. Welcome to the Rossiya 02! Please enjoy your journey."  
"Thank you, Mila," Yuuri answered quietly, and Phichit nodded, following him up the stairs.  
"Victor should be on the restaurant wagon, but he might be busy for a while," she advised as she took the ticket from the obnoxious man from before, who didn't seem to mind the conversation, even as he fidgeted with his own gloves in what looked like impatience. Mila didn’t notice. "If you want, I'll let him know you're in your usual compartment, and he'll probably stop by when he's free."  
"That's... There's no need, thank you," Yuuri answered, feeling the curious eyes of his friend on him. "I'll run into him eventually..."  
"Don't worry, it's no trouble!"

She turned back to the couple, taking their passports and checking their tickets, and Yuuri didn't argue anymore. Instead, he let Phichit push him into the wagon, the warmth of the interior hitting them. He took off his glasses to clean them as they fogged up. The hallway was covered in a warm, light grey rug, matching the uniforms the conductors wore. The walls were dressed in plywood panels, helping to keep the cold out, and between each compartment door there was an ornate lamp. Yuuri knew from experience that they turned them on during the evenings and the early hours of the night, giving the train a cozy ambiance. It was, however, possible to manually turn them off, or dim them, and that reminded him of a particular afternoon, the last time he’d traveled… He blushed. Definitely not a surprise they thought he and Victor were together.

"Phew, at least it's warm here!" Phichit mused out loud, startling him. "So, who's Victor?"  
"He's one of the conductors here," Yuuri put his glasses back on, blinking to focus his sight and leading the way to where he knew Phichit's compartment would be. "Since I travel a lot on this line, I've made acquaintances with all the conductors. Victor and I..."  
"I can't believe you didn't tell me you were seeing someone!" Phichit exclaimed, pretending to be offended. Yuuri snorted, hoping his blush would pass as a response to the newfound heat.  
"I'm _not_. Victor is very nice, and we're... close. But it's not like that."  
"How close, Yuuri? How far have you two...?"  
"Ah, hello, Yuuri!" a voice interrupted, and Yuuri praised Georgi for his timely appearance. 

He turned around. 

"Georgi Vasilievich," he greeted, and was met with a slightly dismissive hand gesture and a smile. It warmed him in ways the heated air of the hallway hadn’t.  
"Yuuri, you can call me Georgi, or just Gosha, you know," he reminded him. "You're not alone this time, I see?"  
"This is Phichit, a friend I made on one of my trips to the States," Yuuri introduced him. "Thanks for taking care of us. I would offer you to call me Yura, but I'm afraid Yuri Nikolayevich wouldn't like that."  
"That's very considerate of you," Georgi laughed. "I'm sure we could figure out something..."  
"Yuuri would get so flustered if you changed someone's name just for him," Phichit confided, and Yuuri sighed, feeling his cheeks redden once more.  
"Please, Phichit," Georgi seemed amused at the exchange, but didn't comment. Instead, he gestured with an arm towards the compartments.  
"Do you know where your compartment is?" he asked.  
"I'm in the same as always, and I think Phichit is two compartments away from me," Yuuri answered. Georgi took a cursory glance at Phichit's ticket with a quiet ‘May I?’, before nodding.  
"That seems about right. I'll leave you to it, then, unless you need any assistance?"  
"We'll be fine, thank you Georgi... Gosha."

Georgi smiled widely at this, waving friendly as he walked away, and Yuuri kept walking, chest warm with affection. He wasn't completely sure when it had happened, but since a few trips ago he'd practically been adopted by the entire crew. For some magical, unfathomable reason, they seemed to like him. He wondered if Victor had anything to do with this. 

"Let's not get too sidetracked," Phichit started again as they crossed into the next car, and Yuuri threw him an exasperated glance. "Sooo... you and Victor?"  
"There's no 'me and Victor', okay? Sure, he's really handsome, but we're just friends. There's no way anything else could happen when we both have such drastically different lifestyles, and you know this, Phichit."  
"The conductors here seem to like you, and you mentioned the last time we met that you have been thinking of retiring from being a detective, that you were getting tired. You could apply for a job here!"  
"Phichit," Yuuri started, distractedly looking around for their compartments. "That would _never_ work. First of all, if we worked here we probably wouldn't have barely any time for each other. And second, I haven't _actually_ retired, so it's out of the question."  
"But you _could_. Or maybe he could join you in your travels!"  
"Now you're getting ahead of yourself."  
"When do I get to meet the infamous Victor, then?"

Yuuri looked around, waiting for the dramatic man to appear out of nowhere, but he didn't. Georgi had disappeared from view, and the only people in the car were the two young men walking a bit behind them. They seemed to find their compartment quickly enough. Yuuri shrugged, Victor must have still been busy in the dining car.

"You'll meet him eventually, I'm sure. He usually sleeps in the compartment next to mine."  
"Yuuri! How scandalous!"  
"Who are you calling scandalous?" a voice grumbled from a compartment nearby, and Yuuri sighed, recognizing it. He opened the door to his own compartment and placed his luggage inside. He returned to find Phichit observing a short blond teenager. "Oh, it's you," he added, upon seeing Yuuri.  
"Hello, Yuri Nikolayevich. It's nice to see you. This is my friend Phichit Chulanont, a journalist. We met a few years ago, and we've happened to meet again by chance."  
"Uh huh," he said, disinterested, looking Phichit over. "Enjoy the journey. Anyway, Victor is busy right now. He's helping Lilia."

Yuuri nodded, unsure about what that meant. He knew Lilia, the cook, of course. Victor’s mother. She'd always been very distant, but Yuuri could have sworn he knew her from somewhere. However, shouldn't it be a good thing, that Victor was helping her? Both Mila and Yuri had mentioned it with an air of gravity, and Yuuri filed that information for later. Maybe he could ask Victor what that meant...

"Who's Lilia?" asked Phichit all of a sudden.  
"Our cook. She's in charge of the dining car. The food is excellent, but take care not to cross her." Yuri Nikolayevich replied, before sighing. "Anyway, I better go."  
"Is he always this cheerful?" Phichit laughed, watching the teen go. Yuuri laughed as well.  
"I think he was holding back because you're a passenger. He _really_ doesn't like me. I don't think he likes _anyone_ , except maybe Otabek."  
"Who's Otabek? Another conductor?"  
"Yes. They spend what little free time they have together, which is saying something, considering they usually have opposite shifts. You’ll probably meet Otabek later, during his shift, at night.”

Yuuri ushered Phichit along to his compartment, and helped him set his things on the right bed. The compartment was empty, but there was a small suitcase on the other bed, along with a few books already laid out.

"Seems like you already have company." Yuuri commented, and his friend nodded.  
"Whoever it is, they have good taste in their books! Look, they're reading the King and the Skater!" Phichit pointed out, picking the book up and scanning the pages.  
"Don't read other people's books without their permission, Phichit."  
"I won't! But I'm sure we'll get along. Was there anyone in your compartment?"  
"Not for now, no. Everyone is still boarding, though."  
"Yeah, we have a few minutes." Phichit agreed, following Yuuri as he retreated back into the corridor.  
"Let me put my own things in order and I'll meet you again to have some tea at the dining car. Mrs. Feltsman isn't as scary as she looks, I promise."  
"Lilia Feltsman, huh...?"  
"I believe that's her name, yes."  
"I'll look around and see you there in a bit, then. Maybe I'll finally meet the infamous Victor."

Yuuri sighed fondly. Phichit had always been like this. He would never let him live things down, but as nosy as he was, it was impossible to hate him. He was always so genuinely caring...

There was someone else at his compartment by the time he arrived, and he put on a smile.

"Hello, I'm Yuuri Katsuki. Seems like we'll be travelling together, Mister..."  
"Karetnikov,” the stoic man he’d seen earlier in the station answered curtly, but not unkindly. “Excuse me, is this the compartment number 6?"  
"Oh, no, you're on the wrong side of the car. That one should be the one by the other side," Yuuri pointed at it from the doorframe, and the man smiled briefly.  
"Right! Thank you very much Mr. Katsuki. I'm sure we'll see each other around."  
"Indeed."

The man didn't seem to have much with him, other than a winter hat and a medium sized trunk. He pulled it along with relative ease, only stopping to check he wasn't scratching it against the doors of other compartments. It was a tight fit for the train's corridor, but he seemed to manage just fine. At the other end of the car, the other woman in a coat seemed to be looking for her compartment as well. She smiled at him and waved, gesturing towards one of the compartments, and they went in. Yuuri smiled. It looked like they wouldn't have trouble finding it, after all.

Yuuri didn't have many things with him, as he liked to travel light. However, being so far from home and usually for a long time, always made it so that his suitcase was full to the brim. This time was no different. Taking off his own coat, he started organizing his things around the compartment. He didn't want to assume he was traveling alone, so he kept to his side.

He didn't need to take out his clothes, which were neatly folded on the bottom of the suitcase after having washed them in the last hotel he'd been in. Instead, he took out his current book, and a small bag with toiletries. He placed them on the bed. Then he picked up a small package from between his shirts, and smiled to himself. He had been lucky enough to receive it as a present from one of his clients, and he knew exactly who should have it instead of him. 

Victor had always loved receiving small presents from Yuuri’s travels, especially pictures, or souvenirs. This wasn’t exactly a souvenir, not really, but it was something that had immediately reminded Yuuri of the conductor. The metal gleamed under the shy rays of sun coming in through the window, highlighting the curious design. He placed the present in his jacket's pocket once more after a minute, telling himself he'd wait for the perfect moment to give it to Victor.

With that in mind, he locked his suitcase again, set it under the bed, and exited the compartment. The dining car was to his right, and he walked towards it, doing his best to move out of the way as he passed the rest of passengers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you've enjoyed my story :D
> 
> If you did, please consider leaving kudos or a comment, they're greatly appreciated! If you want to yell with me and share more headcanons for these two dorks, you can find me at my tumblr, [kyokotsukuyomi](http://kyokotsukuyomi.tumblr.com/), the comments section down below, or any of the links in my profile. The lovely artist who did the art for this fic is Dyeingdoll, you can find her on her [tumblr](https://dyeingdoll.tumblr.com/)! Don't be shy!
> 
> Love,
> 
> ~Lena
> 
> P.S.: the art will be embedded in the chapter where the scene happens, no worries ;)


	3. Chapter 2: To live up to a name.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "So, is it you then? The infamous Yuuri Katsuki?"
> 
> Yuuri wasn't sure that infamous was the word to describe him, but he didn't want to argue. It was too early for that. With a resigned smile, he nodded.
> 
> "Yes, that _is_ me. I'm glad to know you've heard of me ma'am."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! I wasn't home at all yesterday's evening, and by the time I got home I just crashed on my bed ^^;; Here's next chapter, though. Enjoy~!

****

# Chapter 2: To live up to a name.

****

When he arrived, he quickly located Phichit sitting with the man with round glasses, talking animatedly, and immediately after he spotted Victor, who was quietly talking with both Mr. and Mrs. Feltsman near the bar. Yuuri smiled at them, waving his fingers a little, and hoping that the way his heart had jumped hadn’t been too obvious. Victor smiled back, though he looked tired, and he motioned for Yuuri to come closer. Yuuri did, tentatively.

"I'm glad to see you again, Yuuri," he greeted quietly, but sincerely. "How have you been?"  
"You know how it is, work," Yuuri tried to wave it off, and smiled at the Feltsmans, who seemed to have been arguing moments before, going by their serious faces. "I would hate to interrupt, I was just going to meet Phichit for some tea..."  
"I'll go take their order," Victor said to Lilia, in what Yuuri thought was a calming voice, but the woman wasn't having it.  
"Don't you have a job to do? I'll take care of that. Now go make sure everyone has found their compartment, we're departing in just a minute. And you, Yakov, don't you have things to do either? Really..."

Well, it was good to know that nothing had really changed since the last time Yuuri had been in the train. Victor winced, and Yuuri squeezed his arm in sympathy.

"Later, then," Victor mouthed, and Yuuri smiled, with a nod.

He approached Phichit’s table, nodding towards the blond man beside him in a greeting.

"Who's your friend?" he asked. Phichit smiled brightly.  
"This is Chris. He is my cabin partner. We were just talking about books. He has a great taste in literature," Phichit enthused. Chris smiled, and Yuuri couldn’t help but chuckle.  
"Oh, is this the guy who reads 'The king and the skater', whose book you nearly stole?" he teased, and Phichit blushed slightly.  
"I was only looking at it, I didn't steal it!"  
"I'm sure you didn't, darling." The man — Chris — said, with a wink.

Yuuri raised an eyebrow, but neither of the other two seemed to be paying attention to him. Eventually he gave up, turning his attention to the menu. He wasn't hungry, even if it was time for breakfast, but it wouldn't hurt to take a look. Lilia came by the table shortly after, finally breaking the spell between Phichit and his new friend, and Yuuri chose not to mention it.

"Good morning, sirs. What can I get you?"

Yuuri couldn't help but think that Lilia was very different to different passengers. Phichit, however, was none the wiser.

"Hi, yes, hello. I would like to have some tea and toast," he answered brightly. Chris nodded.  
"Yes, me too."  
"And you, Mister Katsuki?" Lilia added, curtly, this time almost glaring at Yuuri. He tried not to take it personally, but something told him she wasn’t happy he’d interrupted them earlier...  
"Um, I will have a tea and an omelette. Thank you," he added before she went away.

The table fell into a small silence as she left. Phichit was the first to break it.

"So, Yuuri, the tall guy, silver hair, the one who just went out… Was he your Victor?" Chris seemed interested at the phrasing, but Yuuri chose to ignore it.  
"Yes, that's him. Did you two meet?" he asked, but Phichit shook his head.  
"No, we didn't... Chris knows him, he was telling me about him. He just seemed to be busy, and I didn't want to bother him. It looks like you got yourself a hot boyfriend, though. Good for you!"

Chris laughed. Phichit smirked at Yuuri. Yuuri could have strangled him.

"I told you, Victor and I aren't like that. I don't think he would be interested, not in something serious anyway, and you know I'm not one to settle."  
"So, what do you do for a living?" Chris asked, and Yuuri nodded.  
"I'm a detective, a private one. I travel around a lot, I just finished a case in St. Petersburg and now I'm headed home."  
"Japanese, right? I like the accent," Chris said lightheartedly. His voice was soft, and it also had an accent, but Yuuri couldn't quite place it. He tilted his head.  
"Thank you. What about you?"  
"I'm Swiss! Sadly, though, I haven't been home in quite a while. My job, much as yours, doesn’t allow it."  
"Oh yeah? Let me guess, some sort of artist?"  
"Yeah! I was just telling your friend about it, I travel around with my camera capturing beautiful moments."  
"I see, so a photographer then. Quite the coincidence, as Phichit here is a news reporter. He keeps saying how hard it is to find a good photographer, but it seems you two are getting along already. A match made in heaven, really."

Phichit choked glaring at Yuuri for a moment before shaking his head.

"Yes, it's true. Though I'm not working at the moment. I just finished a big article in St. Petersburg, and I'm taking a break until I get home back in Thailand."  
"Thailand, huh? Must be pretty over there... Never been, but I'd love to. I'm sure there are a lot of pretty things to take pictures of, if they are as pretty as you."

Yuuri had to give it to him, the man didn't even blush as he said that, nor as he winked at Phichit, who laughed, flattered.

#

By the time Yuuri finished his omelette, he didn't have to be a detective to know what was going on between those two. There was a part of him that was very amused at the increasing shade of red that Phichit's cheeks took, however, he knew his help wasn't necessary. With a knowing smile, he stood up from the table.

"It's been nice meeting you, Chris," he started. The man looked politely surprised, and Yuuri could tell he was slightly apologetic. He waved a hand dismissively. He didn’t mind.  
"Leaving us already?"  
"Yes, please excuse me. I'm sure we'll be seeing each other soon, we have a long journey ahead."

Phichit sent him a conspiratory smirk, but other than that didn’t knowledge Yuuri's attempt to return one of his many "favors". Yuuri left the dining car without another word. 

He sometimes wished he had the nerve to try something casual, like Phichit, unafraid of what the future may hold. It would make his entire relationship with Victor so much easier...

As he approached his own cabin, he spotted the young couple again, holding hands and talking animatedly. He smiled, politely distant, but still the man approached him. He supposed it was inevitable.

"Good morning," Yuuri said quietly, hoping the man wouldn't have much to say. After listening to Phichit and Chris chattering for a while, he wasn’t exactly in the mood for pleasantries, but he was never one to be impolite.  
"Good morning!" The man answered, a giant smile appearing on his face. "I was hoping to talk to you, actually. My wife and I were wondering, do we know you from somewhere?"  
"Well, that depends," Yuuri answered, a little hesitant. "How much do you read the papers?"

The woman behind him clapped excitedly.

"I told you! It has to be him, look at his glasses, it's definitely him."  
"He does bear a resemblance, yes... So, is it you then? The infamous Yuuri Katsuki?"

Yuuri wasn't sure that infamous was the word to describe him, but he didn't want to argue. It was too early for that. With a resigned smile, he nodded.

"Yes, that _is_ me. I'm glad to know you've heard of me ma'am."

He nodded gracefully towards the woman, who smiled a little brighter, and immediately regretted it as the man didn't seem too amused by it.

"It seems I'm at a little of a disadvantage, then, as you both know me, but I do not know you."  
"If you are as good as they say, couldn't you figure it out?" The man prompted, and even if his smile was friendly, his words had a dangerous edge.  
"I cannot make miracles happen, sir,” he replied, somewhat nervously, but ready to accept the challenge.

He looked them over carefully for a brief moment. Their warm clothes, their linked hands, the shiny rings they both wore proudly. The way they had been talking to each other, the way they looked at each other. They were very close, and he remembered seeing them earlier while they boarded, both immediately flooded with relief as soon as their tickets were checked and confirmed. They had looked tired, but happy, and carried three full suitcases that told tales of a long journey. He couldn’t see anything truly out of the ordinary, aside from the fact that they were, painfully obviously in spite of their pale skin, foreigners. He offered them a small smile

“I can tell that you two are a couple. Newlyweds, I’d say… congratulations. I can also tell that you've traveled a long way too, probably on a honeymoon. You are clearly not Russian, since you're speaking in English to me and your accent tells me you're either Canadian or from the States — pardon my ignorance, I’m not fully familiar with English accents. Judging by how well worn your winter clothing is, probability suggests that you _are_ from Canada, but… that still doesn't tell me your name."  
"Impressive," the man finally said, extending his hand for Yuuri to shake. "Jean-Jacques Leroy. This is Isabella, my wife. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Katsuki."  
"The pleasure is mine," Yuuri replied, shaking his hand and placing a kiss on the lady's knuckles, relieved to have apparently passed the test.

He pulled away from them, hoping that the man would leave him alone now that he'd introduced himself, but he didn't. Instead, he started talking about how he _was_ from Canada, actually, and it was a rather obvious thing to derive from the accent, though of course, if Yuuri was Japanese he couldn’t be expected to know every single accent, and... Yuuri repressed a sigh.

This was what he disliked the most about traveling, the other passengers. They weren't always bad, most of the time they were just fine; quiet, respectful. From time to time, however, people like Mr. Leroy appeared. People who wanted to talk about themselves, or gossip about other people, or even worse, talk about Yuuri’s ever growing popularity, and Yuuri just wasn't there for that. He enjoyed the quiet and the peace on the trans-Siberian Railway. It allowed him to think, to reflect, to simply exist. Away from troubles, and mysteries, and cases that required his full attention… Here he was just Yuuri, a man traveling back home.

Maybe that was why he'd gotten along with Victor so well at the beginning, because he hadn't asked questions about his job. Yuuri could tell that Victor had been curious, but he hadn't asked and that was what mattered. It was only after they knew each other better, that Victor had started to pose questions, and by then they were so comfortable with each other that Yuuri had been okay with it. He had even been glad to answer them, and to ask his own questions in return.

As if on cue, a voice called him from the other side of the car, and Yuuri turned around to smile at the silver haired conductor.

"Yuuri!"

"Hey, Victor," Yuuri smiled at him, silently pleading that he would help him get out of there. "It's great to see you."  
"Is everything okay?" Victor asked, looking at the couple behind Yuuri. Yuuri was quick to nod.  
"Yes, everything is fine, thanks. Mr. Leroy was just telling me about his home country, Canada. Isn't it incredible? " Yuuri said putting on his best fake smile. Victor didn't react, but Yuuri saw the realization in his own overly polite smile.  
"Oh, I see. That's very nice. I hope you have a fantastic time with us, sir, madam... I don't mean to intrude, of course, but Yuuri, if you're free, could you come with me for a moment? It won't take long."  
"Oh, of course. Apologies, Mr. and Mrs. Leroy, I'll have to see you another occasion. Well then, Victor…"

Victor smiled, pointing with a hand towards Yuuri's compartment. He walked ahead, smiling to himself as he left behind the Leroys and turning around to look at Victor as he closed the compartment door behind them.

"Who are they?" asked Victor with raised eyebrows. Yuuri laughed.  
"Mr. and Mrs. Leroy, apparently. Newlyweds, Canadian, I haven't figured out much about them yet. I thought you were supposed to keep track of the passengers?" Yuuri raised an eyebrow, feeling a little cheeky. Maybe Phichit's mood was contagious. He'd have to keep an eye out for that. Victor smiled.  
"Maybe I just wanted to hear it from you," he replied, and Yuuri rolled his eyes, accepting the excuse.

He took a good look at Victor, for the first time this trip. He seemed tired, not that this was unusual given the hour, but maybe more than he usually looked. His uniform was pristine, as always, but he wasn't wearing the conductors’ hat, and there were dark circles under his eyes, his skin slightly more pale than usual. Yuuri frowned.

"Is everything okay, Victor?"

That seemed to startle him. He hesitated, biting his lip, before shrugging.

"Yeah, don't worry about it. I didn't want you to see me arguing with my parents before, I wish they would keep this stuff out of work hours, they've been nervy for a while now." he shrugged again. "They'll stop at some point, I hope. They will make the passengers' lives hell otherwise, and we can't have that. We are very professional here, all of us, as you probably have noticed."

It was meant to make Yuuri laugh, clearly, as it was followed with a wink, but he was still processing the previous sentence. He frowned a bit more.

"They've been arguing?"  
"It's probably nothing, Yuuri," Victor insisted, halfheartedly. “You know my mother doesn’t have much patience…” 

Yuuri knew him enough to see right through it, but he didn't insist. With a last assessing glance, he shrugged as well, and smiled, changing the topic.

"Well, in any case, I'm glad to be back. It's been a while since the last time I saw you. How have you been?"  
"It's been an age!" Victor agreed, eyes lighting up just a little bit. "Everything's been fine. Quiet, you know? Same old job… We meet the weirdest people here, sometimes. It looks like the Leroys are going to be those passengers this time… You sure they weren't bothering you, right? I can keep an eye on them, as always, you know I will. "  
"It was fine, Victor, I promise. They weren't bothering me, just being nice, introducing themselves and all. I'm just not the chatty type, that's all. "  
"I know, I know… but it's my job to worry."

Yuuri smiled, relieved. This was more like the Victor he knew, carefree and a little flirty. Maybe he was overthinking it. Wouldn't be the first time.

"So," Victor said, all of a sudden "Who's your friend? "

Well, maybe more than a little flirty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you've enjoyed my story :D
> 
> If you did, please consider leaving kudos or a comment, they're greatly appreciated! If you want to yell with me and share more headcanons for these two dorks, you can find me at my tumblr, [kyokotsukuyomi](http://kyokotsukuyomi.tumblr.com/), the comments section down below, or any of the links in my profile. The lovely artist who did the art for this fic is Dyeingdoll, you can find her on her [tumblr](https://dyeingdoll.tumblr.com/)! Don't be shy!
> 
> Love,
> 
> ~Lena
> 
> P.S.: the art will be embedded on the chapter where the scene happens, no worries ;)


	4. Chapter 3: What the heart wants.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor placed one of his hands on top of Yuuri's, getting a little closer. "Have lunch with me later, Yuuri. Let's get to know each other better, build some trust in our relationship…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music I have personally listened to while writing this fic:  
> Trans-Siberian railway on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/user/1231244904/playlist/1okqSG4DDS3pRJsYCZRI3S?si=ySjwpso7Rw-sqUVGvaLNgA)  
> Mystery music on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/user/bezoing/playlist/28ICiQDK37yaahRZD7aX3J?si=y5-F9syiQbSpkZfSP3N88w)  
> The Vanishing of Ethan Carter Soundtrack on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/album/1URAPPYkkYGElm3JVwgRfs?si=0sMpDEwuQWCSlnljT0AMaQ)  
> 10 hours of train sounds on [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGpsKIDd4kg)

_Yuuri smiled, relieved. This was more like the Victor he knew, carefree and a little flirty. Maybe he was overthinking it. Wouldn't be the first time._

_"So," Victor said, all of a sudden "Who's your friend? "_

_Well, maybe more than a little flirty._

#  **Chapter 3: What the heart wants.**

"Who, Phichit?" Yuuri raised an eyebrow, torn between being amused and more than a little mortified. Was Victor serious? "He's a friend I made during one of my trips to the States. He's a news reporter, his help proved invaluable to the case. Turns out we get along really well, too, but he is more of a brother than anything else. Why," he joked, hoping that his face wasn't too red, "are you jealous?"  
"I might be," Victor teased. Yuuri hoped he didn't imagine his shoulders slumping with relief.  
"Don't be ridiculous," he answered. He stepped over to his right, sitting down one of the beds, and prompting Victor with a hand to do the same on the other. Victor, defiantly, sat next to him, his shoulder brushing against Yuuri’s.  
"So you met him on a case, then?"  
"Yes, never underestimate the help of the news reporter… That was a tough case."  
"And you... have you stayed in touch ever since, or…?"  
"More or less, yeah… We send each other letters and things like that, but you know how hard it is to keep in touch when you're traveling constantly."  
"Yeah, I know the pain…"

Victor leaned back, bracing himself on his hands, and looking at Yuuri.

"I spend most of my time in this train, and we don't receive mail here, not personal mail anyway," he tilted his head to the side, arching an eyebrow. "Did you ever send any letters after I gave you my address? I might not have been home when they arrived, but there were certainly none last time I was there."  
"I did send one," Yuuri answered. "Right after my last case in India, about a month and half ago… But it probably is still gonna take some time to reach you. I wasn't sure I'd see you. Don't worry about it, though, it probably will be waiting for you when you get back this time. They're just some details about the case, a few pictures… That sort of stuff."  
"Oh, awesome! Never been to India, is it pretty there? "  
"It is. I tried to send you pictures of the places I liked the most, and of some of my favorite dishes, too."  
"That sounds fantastic, Yuuri, thank you. Did you learn to cook them, too? We can always take over the kitchen. Lilia won't be too happy, but hey, what can you do, she can't always win," Victor winked conspiratorially, and Yuuri laughed.  
"I do know how to cook some of them, yeah. I don't know if taking over the kitchen is a good idea, though… Not if she's been in a bad mood lately… "  
"Yeah… Still, I would love to eat something you cooked, Yuuri. I already know it would be fantastic. Also, don't they say that food is the best way into a man's heart?" Victor placed one of his hands on top of Yuuri's, getting a little closer. "Have lunch with me later, Yuuri. Let's get to know each other better, build some trust in our relationship… Maybe, with time, Lilia won't mind if we take over the kitchen. We just have to convince her that we know what we're doing."

Yuuri stared at the fingers above his. He debated whether to pull his hand away or not for a second, before letting it stay as it was. His mind raced. Victor had always been touchy, in a way that Yuuri wasn't familiar with, but it seemed that every time they saw each other he turned it up a little bit more. This was new. Not that Yuuri minded. He intertwined his fingers with Victor's a little bit more, playing with them, before drawing his hand away, with a sigh. He looked back at Victor, conflicted.

"Victor…"  
"Yes?"  
"I don't know if we should be…"  
"Yuuri," Victor said, voice going stern. "I told you last time too, this is fine. I won't let this affect my job, and it won't affect yours. There is nothing stopping this, stopping us…"

For a moment it seemed that Victor would let things go but after a second he looked back at Yuuri, resolute. He raised the hand to caress Yuuri's cheek, letting it linger on his lips for a second, fingers pulling on Yuuri's lower lip and eyes tracking the movement, filled with an emotion that Yuuri could only classify as yearning. He wished he could look away, pulse going wild. After a moment, he closed his eyes altogether, lest he do something rash. For a second that seemed eternal, Yuuri sworn he could feel Victor’s lips touch his, but when he spoke, he wasn’t that close. He didn’t know whether to feel relief, or disappointment.

"I won't push you," Victor finally added. "But if you change your mind…"

He didn't finish his sentence, but he didn't need to. Yuuri knew exactly what he was talking about, and a part of him was secretly very into that idea. But he knew himself, and he knew what he wanted. Most people would say he was naïve, shy, inexperienced… And maybe they were right, but Yuuri wasn't stupid. He knew what he wanted, and he knew what Victor wanted, and they just weren't the same. Yuuri didn't want a one time thing, 'meet me tonight in my compartment and I will pretend I don't know you in the morning' kind of thing. At some point over the past couple of months, getting to know Victor, talking about their past, their dreams of the future, and everything in between, he'd developed feelings for him. Yuuri wanted more, but that wasn't what Victor wanted, and he wasn't sure that his heart would stand the disappointment afterwards.

Victor was still looking at him when he raised his eyes, and he had to close them again so as not to see the hope in them. It wasn't fair, but then again, life rarely was.

He was saved from answering at all when they heard a loud noise from the corridor, however. After a second, the sound of two people running and talking between them brought both of them out of their bubble. Victor frowned, looking confused, and Yuuri took his chance to completely pull away from him, stand up, and get closer to the door in an attempt to hear what they were saying.

The two people — two men, judging by their voices — passed them by pretty quickly, and Yuuri didn't catch anything. Nonetheless, it seemed urgent. After a moment, he opened the door walking outside and calling them.

"Hey," he said, watching the two men stop in their tracks and look back at him. "Is there a problem?"  
"We're looking for the conductor," one of them explained, the one who looked the youngest. Beside him, a taller man nodded.  
"There's a gentleman in the dining car making a fuss, something about this other guy flirting with his sister, or something like that… There's no one else around, and we were worried that it would escalate."

Victor, who had emerged after Yuuri, didn't look too surprised. He sighed, nodding, and placed his fingers reassuringly on Yuuri's back, out of the sight of the other two.

"Yeah, I know who you're talking about. I came across them when I helped them find their compartment. Overprotective Italian brother… I better go take a look. I wouldn't be too worried, though… They seemed to be friends with another man, I can't remember his name right now, and that's probably who that flirting guy is." Victor rolled his eyes, and smiled. "Thanks for telling me, though. If it happens again, don't hesitate to look for me, or any of the other conductors. We're here to ensure everyone has the best experience possible aboard our train."  
"Thank you," the younger man said, with apparent relief. "We just boarded, and we didn't want any trouble from the very beginning."  
"Of course," Victor agreed with a knowing smile. He adjusted his uniform before taking some steps towards the dining car. "Don't worry, it's not a common occurrence, but some passengers do get feisty sometimes. You've done the right thing finding a conductor. It's part of what we do, keep passengers in check."  
"Thank you."

Victor walked ahead of them, apparently unperturbed, though he did send final hesitant glance towards Yuuri, before moving on.

The two young men turned out to be a team of doctor and a nurse. The older one, Leo, was a young doctor from the States, traveling around to help in places in need. The younger, Guang-Hong, was a Chinese nurse, recently graduated. They had met in one of Leo's travels, and had stayed together ever since. It was impressive to hear about their experience, as Yuuri learned that they were both younger than him, almost young enough to be called children.

The discussion in the dining car seemed to have died down by the time they got there. Victor spoke quietly with the two passengers, who identified themselves as Emil Nekola, Michele Crispino and Sara Crispino. Twins, apparently. It was a relief to see them calm down without making much of a fuss about it, without a doubt, but now that it was over, Yuuri almost wished that he could go back to where they were before and give Victor an answer. Problem was, he still didn't know _what_ was the answer. He just wished Victor would stop looking so sad.

He didn't get a chance to say anything at all, however, because soon after that the train started moving and Victor had to leave to keep doing his job. He still sent a smile on Yuuri's way before going away, but he looked tired again, and Yuuri felt oddly responsible. 

As he exited the dining car, he made to return to his cabin. Before he could get there, however, he met somebody else in the hallway. Not the Leroys this time, at least.

“Mr. Karetnikov,” Yuuri greeted, quietly. The man nodded.  
“Mr. … Katsuki, was it?” he asked. For a moment, he furrowed his eyebrows as if trying to recall. Yuuri smiled.  
“That’s the name, yes.”  
“This is…”  
“Daria Volkova,” the woman next to him piped in, with a smile. Karetnikov simply raised an eyebrow, amusedly.  
“You heard her,” he chuckled.  
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Volkova,” Yuuri smiled in response. “I’m Yuuri Katsuki.”

The woman blinked, tilting her head, and Yuuri immediately knew what was coming next.

“The detective? The one in the papers, who solved that case a few days ago?”  
“The one and the same,” he confirmed, feeling somewhat awkward.  
“Oh, wow,” Karetnikov frowned, and he sounded impressed. “I heard it was one hell of a job you did with that. Congratulations, Katsuki.”  
“Thank you. I’m just glad that’s all cleared up.”  
“Indeed,” Daria nodded, thoughtfully. She then turned to her partner. “We were going to have breakfast, now. I suppose we’ll see each other around, hm?”  
“I would imagine so, Miss Volikova. Mister Karetnikov,” Yuuri nodded towards him as well, moving aside so they could walk past him towards the dining car.  
“Later, Katsuki,” the man replied before following her, waving curtly, but politely.

Alone once more, he returned to his cabin, and locked the door behind himself.

He went to lay down on one of the beds, watching the station disappear behind them as the train picked up speed. Shortly after, snow started to drizzle down. It was a beautiful sight, even more so from the inside of the train, where it was warm and dry. He fluffed one of the pillows, and propped it against the wall so he could lean back against it. He was about to, when he realized there was something in his pocket. As he took it out, he couldn't help but huff in annoyance. Earlier when they were alone would have been a perfect chance to give Victor his present, and maybe it would have been a good way to brighten his day, but no, he had to forget. 

Yuuri set the small present on the table, and stared at it until his vision blurred. After a few more moments, he took off his glasses, placed them beside it, and turned around to stare out the window for a while, clearing his mind of thoughts for a while. He would have to find Victor alone again later, when he was off the clock, maybe… 

Before he could think much else about him and Victor alone in his compartment again, however, a knock on the door distracted him. He rushed to get his glasses back on, carefully tuck away Victor’s present in his pocket, and opened the door to find a very excited Phichit outside, waiting for him.

"Yuuri, you won't believe it, and you have to help me, he's perfect."

Yuuri blanked. Well. He wasn't expecting that.

"Who is perfect?" he asked, confused.  
"Chris!"  
"Oh, right," Yuuri nodded, more to himself than anything else, and let Phichit in. He could already feel this would be a long conversation.  
"There's just so much I have to tell you," Phichit enthused, waving his arms excitedly, his cheeks a little flushed.  
“You’ve only known him for, what, a few minutes?” Yuuri grumbled, but he still found it amusing.  
“Details, details. I have a more than enough time to get to know him better before this journey ends,” he dismissed, smirking mischievously, and Yuuri rolled his eyes, unable to contain a smile. 

Phichit had always been much more adventurous than him. One could only wonder if that wasn’t, arguably, one of the many admirable qualities of him.

It was only when Phichit moved to enter the cabin that Yuuri saw her again, and this time, something new caught his eye. The last time he’d seen her, with her hair down and messy from the wind, and her hat, he hadn’t thought much of it. However, as Daria passed by towards her compartment this time, Yuuri couldn’t help but think that he’d seen her before somewhere. He frowned, taking in her appearance. She’d shed her heavy coat, and rearranged her pristine blond hair into a tidy bun on the top of her head. She waltzed away after a second, steps quick and light, almost bouncy. He did not notice Yuuri, but he was left with the uncanny impression that she reminded him of someone else.

He held the door open for a second more than necessary, granting him a weird look from Phichit, who turned around to see what he had missed. He raised an eyebrow.

"Do you know her?"  
"She’s called Daria Volkova. She’s a passenger, but I don’t know anything more about her, I just met her earlier. I just thought… Never mind, though. Come in, do tell me about this perfect man of yours."

Whatever it was, it didn’t really worry Yuuri. Not only did Daria not look like a threat, Yuuri was sure he’d seen her before somewhere. Was she maybe an old acquaintance of his family? Minako-sensei had quite a few Russian friends from her old ballerina days. Had they been introduced before? Yuuri would have to ask her next time they saw each other.

Like Phichit had said, he had more than enough time to get to know her. And if there was something he was good at, it was figuring people out. It was his job, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you've enjoyed my story :D
> 
> If you did, please consider leaving kudos or a comment, they're greatly appreciated! If you want to yell with me and share more headcanons for these two dorks, you can find me at my tumblr, [kyokotsukuyomi](http://kyokotsukuyomi.tumblr.com/), the comments section down below, or any of the links in my profile. The lovely artist who did the art for this fic is Dyeingdoll, you can find her on her [tumblr](https://dyeingdoll.tumblr.com/)! Don't be shy!
> 
> Love,
> 
> ~Lena
> 
> P.S.: the art will be embedded on the chapter where the scene happens, no worries ;)


	5. Chapter 4: Down to earth.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What a pair of hopeless idiots we are, aren't we…?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music I have personally listened to while writing this fic:  
>  **(Rec for this chapter!)** Trans-Siberian railway on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/user/1231244904/playlist/1okqSG4DDS3pRJsYCZRI3S?si=ySjwpso7Rw-sqUVGvaLNgA)  
> Mystery music on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/user/bezoing/playlist/28ICiQDK37yaahRZD7aX3J?si=y5-F9syiQbSpkZfSP3N88w)  
> The Vanishing of Ethan Carter Soundtrack on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/album/1URAPPYkkYGElm3JVwgRfs?si=0sMpDEwuQWCSlnljT0AMaQ)  
> 10 hours of train sounds on [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGpsKIDd4kg)

#  **Chapter 4: Down to earth.**

"She's really outdone herself this time, hasn't she?" Yuuri reclined on his seat, smiling to himself. He was one of the last people in the dining car, and Victor, who was helping Lilia serve the passengers, laughed quietly as he placed a dish in front of Yuuri.  
"It certainly looks like it, doesn't it?"  
"Certainly does," Yuuri agreed. He raised an eyebrow towards Victor. "You invited me to have dinner with you, though, aren't you eating anything?"  
"I-I… Yes, I did… I wasn't aware that you had accepted, that's all." Victor also raised an eyebrow, and Yuuri flushed.  
"Yeah, I guess I never really answered after… But, um, if your offer still stands…"  
"It does!" Victor assured him quickly, with a smile. "I'll be back in just a minute."

In the end, it took him more than just a minute, but Victor ended up sitting in front of Yuuri with a plate of warm food and a brilliant smile that threatened to do things to Yuuri's heart. After a moment of hesitation, they both picked up their forks and started eating. Immediately, however, they both looked up to each other again, and proclaimed, excitedly:

"Delicious!"

It made them laugh, and it was a marvelous thing to watch Victor laugh, really. Not that Yuuri spent a lot of time looking, but he'd long ago noticed that Victor’s mouth had a peculiar heart shape whenever he smiled or laughed that he couldn't help but find extremely endearing. Flustered, Yuuri looked down to take another bite.

"She really, really has," proclaimed Victor after a couple more minutes of eating together in silence. “Outdone herself, that is.”

Yuuri made a sound of agreement, mouth still full, and tried to swallow hastily, but Victor beat him to speaking.

"In any case, tell me more about the case you just solved, Yuuri. How long have you been in St. Petersburg? You should've visited!"  
"I've only been here for a couple days, a week tops," Yuuri explained. "Besides, you told me yourself that the few days previous to a trip are always very frantic at your place, what with preparations and everything… I didn't want to impose. Especially knowing that I would see you after all, here."  
"Always so thoughtful, Yuuri…"  
“It was a delicate case,” Yuuri continued, unsure how to react to the teasing compliment. Victor’s eyes twinkled, knowing he got away with that one. “I’m not exactly at liberty to speak of the details, since the family of the deceased wanted me to keep silent about it. I’ll say, though, I wasn’t surprised when I figured out the truth… These type of cases, they’re often the same.”  
“Family fights for the family money, stuff like that?” Victor asked, and Yuuri shrugged.  
“Something like that.”  
“Sounds complicated,” he scrunched his nose a little. “I guess rich people always will have that kind of problems though. Rich kids grow up greedy.”  
“I suppose they have their own set of problems, yeah,” Yuuri conceded, but had to wonder if Victor had any personal experience with snotty rich kids.

Yuuri couldn’t tell him about this last case, at least not anything that hadn’t already been published in the news, so he started to tell him about the case where he’d met Phichit. It had been a big scandal, back then, he remembered, but he wasn’t sure if the news would have reached Russia. Some of it had, it turned out, some of it hadn’t, and it made for a relatively easy dinner time. That was, until they reached a lull in the conversation, and Victor seemed to find something to ask, changing the topic. He didn’t have to speak before Yuuri noticed the change in his face, and he knew he was going to bring the conversation back to what he’d said at the compartment. He was instantly on edge.

"So, Yuuri… About earlier…"  
"Victor…"  
"No, wait, let me finish,” he pleaded. “I wanted to apologize. I-I… I know we've talked about this before. You said last time that you're pretty much married to your job, and to be honest, so am I. I know it wouldn't work, no matter how much we want to, so I'm sorry for getting carried away."

Yuuri had seen many liars in his life. Victor wasn't lying. He wasn't lying, but that didn't mean he agreed with his own words. To be fair, Yuuri also didn't agree with out with those words. He sighed.

"I know we also talked about this during my last trip, but it wasn’t so… Sudden? What brought this up?"  
"Nothing in particular, I just…" Victor shook his head and shrugged, helplessly. "I don't know what came over me. I guess I'm just happy to see you."

There was a small pause, after which Yuuri raised an eyebrow, waiting for Victor to pick up on the irony. When he did, he burst out laughing.

"Not like that! I didn't mean it like that, and you know that if you wanted to, all you'd have to do would be to ask, so don't give me that look."

Yuuri laughed along with him. He knew. It wasn't like Victor to be subtle about that kind of thing, he'd never been.

"I know," he conceded. "In any event, or any implication, you must know I'm also happy see you, Victor."

He raised an eyebrow again, suggestively, and watched closely for Victor's reaction. He looked surprised for a second, and then lowered his eyes to his food, catching up.

"What a pair of hopeless idiots we are, aren't we…?"

Yuuri didn't know how to answer. He didn't want to agree out loud, but it wouldn't have been honest of him to disagree either. They continued to eat their dinner in silence, stealing the occasional glance or smile, until Victor finished. He squared his shoulders before looking at Yuuri with resigned determination.

"Hopeless or not, I don't intend on giving up on being your friend, Yuuri. You should know that."  
"I'm glad to hear that," Yuuri said, relieved. 

They looked at each other for a moment, unsure of what to say next. This wasn't completely new, more often than not when they got to see each other again, they'd need some time to adjust. True, it had never been quite as awkward, but as they searched each other's eyes, they couldn't help but laugh. _This_ was more familiar.

Yuuri was about to say something, perhaps make a joke about how, at this rate, maybe one day they’d have to figure out a way to _actually_ work out their feelings for each other, but he was interrupted before he could. A loud noise startled them, from the kitchen, and a stormy string of muffled words—two people arguing. Only moments later, Yakov Feltsman came into view, still grumbling under his breath. He stopped as he saw Victor and Yuuri, but only acknowledged them with a nod before leaving. Victor winced, but he was once more interrupted before he could speak by another loud sound, this time the sound of someone hitting a pan against another, and then cutlery falling to the floor. Yuuri winced too, this time.

"Victor...?" he asked tentatively as they heard the sound of running water.  
"I'm sorry, Yuuri. They must have thought no one would be here."  
"It's fine... are you okay? They _are_ your parents, after all..."  
"It's not the first time this happens," Victor sighed, resting his chin on his hand. "Probably won't be the last, not that I would mind."  
"Do you know what's going on...? Sorry, I don't mean to pry on personal matters..."  
"It's alright," Victor waved a hand dismissively, and shrugged. "It's not a secret or anything. Or at least, I don't think it is, given how loudly they talk. Lilia has been trying to get him to quit his job for a while, is the thing. She's tired. I can't blame her, traveling like this so often is very taxing, and they're not as young as they used to be. She wants to stay home, and Yakov..."  
"He doesn't feel it's time yet," Yuuri guessed.  
"I guess. I'm not sure, but I suppose he's attached to the train. He has practically lived here all his life. He started working here as a very young man, I hear."  
"I imagine you came along later on..."  
"I know you're more observant than that, Yuuri. Yakov and Lilia are my parents, yes, but the ages don't quite match. No, they're not my biological parents, though God knows they've done more for me than them."  
"I didn't want to assume."  
"Thanks. But yes, I am adopted. I was already eight when they took me in, and they had been married for, I believe, two or three years. They never managed to have children of their own, much as they wanted to, and I hear they had given up by the time they met me."  
"How did you...?"

Yuuri didn't get to finish his sentence, yet again interrupted by a loud noise, this time the kitchen door slamming shut behind someone. Lilia stared at them confusedly, and then schooled her face into a softer scowl. Not that it made her look any less intimidating. Yuuri swallowed.

"Ma'am," he greeted.  
"Mother," Victor added, and she nodded at them, much like Yakov had.  
"I must apologize, I wasn't aware there was still anyone here."  
"Don't worry, I'll take care of our plates. Are you going to sleep?" Victor asked. She nodded again.  
"Yes, I am. You should as well, Vitya, your turn starts early tomorrow, yes?"  
"That it does," Victor confirmed, quietly. "I won't be long."  
"Well then, please excuse me."

She left the dining car in a hurried fashion, but Yuuri couldn't help but notice her eyes. She'd been crying...

Whether Victor had noticed or not, he didn't mention it, and Yuuri kept quiet. One didn't need to be very observant to realize the family was under a lot of stress, and he didn't want to be a thorn on their side. They had come to like him, in their own ways, some more than others, but he didn't feel entitled to prying into such personal matters. Whatever Victor chose to tell him would be enough.

#

They didn't take long after that. The mood wasn't _ruined_ per se, but it wasn't the same. They walked together to their compartments, one next to the other, and Victor sneakily kissed his cheek before turning in for the night. Yuuri blushed, and failed to admonish him for it.

Hopeless idiots, indeed...

All things considered, it was kind of a miracle that nothing had happened earlier in the compartment, especially considering Yuuri didn’t have anyone else in his compartment this time.

As he closed the door to his cabin for the night, he let out a sigh. Stretching, he took off his jacket, then his shirt, and smiled at his reflection in the window. He dressed in his pajamas slowly, savoring the moment, the slight chill of the air that sneaked under the window’s edges brushing against his skin, despite the heating. After a moment, he closed the curtains as well, knowing it wouldn’t completely keep out the tiny breeze that managed to squeeze in, but that it would be better than nothing. He laid down with a smile in his face. It had been a while since he had been in the trans-Siberian train, and he had missed it all, down to the small air current on the windows. He had missed the people, the ambiance, the lull of the train sounds.

He didn't want to lie, he had missed Victor most of all. He usually made all his trips enjoyable, one way or the other. At first, their conversations had been just friendly banter, a small comment here and there. However, as Yuuri started to travel more and more, Victor had become curious and had started to ask more about him, his work, what he liked and disliked…

Yuuri had asked, too, of course. He _had_ been curious, after all. You didn't see someone like Victor every day, much less working on a train. Yuuri didn't consider himself a vain person, but even _he_ could tell that someone with the looks of Victor didn't belong there. And it wasn't just his looks. Victor had charisma, he knew how to treat people, how to make them agree, even in the direst of situations. Yuuri supposed it came with the job, though.

Their relationship had been impossible from the start, anyway. A private detective and a train conductor? Not likely.

Victor _had_ told him many times that he wanted to travel and see the world outside of the Trans-Siberian, but he had also admitted that he was pretty much tied to his job for now. He couldn't leave, and judging by the situation with his parents, that wouldn't change anytime soon. It posed the question, then, of what would happen if Lilia and Yakov were to leave the train after all. If they truly had been debating it for a while, what would Victor do if he became the only one in the family to be traveling most of the time, unable to see his parents daily? Would he quit as well? Would he stay at home with them and find another job in Moscow, or would he do as he wanted to do, and travel around?

As Yuuri drifted to sleep that night, he realized the interruption of Yakov and Lilia, their discussion, had once more distracted him from giving Victor his present.

He'd have to wake up early next morning, and catch him during breakfast...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you've enjoyed my story :D
> 
> If you did, please consider leaving kudos or a comment, they're greatly appreciated! If you want to yell with me and share more headcanons for these two dorks, you can find me at my tumblr, [kyokotsukuyomi](http://kyokotsukuyomi.tumblr.com/), the comments section down below, or any of the links in my profile. The lovely artist who did the art for this fic is Dyeingdoll, you can find her on her [tumblr](https://dyeingdoll.tumblr.com/)! Don't be shy!
> 
> Love,
> 
> ~Lena
> 
> P.S.: the art will be embedded on the chapter where the scene happens, no worries ;)


	6. Chapter 5: To a man with a hammer...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor and Yakov were the ones currently arguing, with the occasional word in from Mila, but they all shut up when the door opened again with a bang. Yuri Nikolayevich stood there, eyes sharp with a dangerous glint in them.
> 
> "Yakov is right," was all he said, pausing to look around, as if checking who was and wasn't there. "She's not in the train."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music I have personally listened to while writing this fic:  
> Trans-Siberian railway on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/user/1231244904/playlist/1okqSG4DDS3pRJsYCZRI3S?si=ySjwpso7Rw-sqUVGvaLNgA)  
>  **Rec for this chapter!** Mystery music on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/user/bezoing/playlist/28ICiQDK37yaahRZD7aX3J?si=y5-F9syiQbSpkZfSP3N88w)  
>  **Rec for this chapter!** The Vanishing of Ethan Carter Soundtrack on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/album/1URAPPYkkYGElm3JVwgRfs?si=0sMpDEwuQWCSlnljT0AMaQ)  
>  10 hours of train sounds on [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGpsKIDd4kg)

#  **Chapter 5: To a man with a hammer...**

Yuuri woke up the next morning to an eerie sensation that something was off. It took him a moment to figure it out, but as he put on his glasses and stood up from his bed, he realized it was because the train wasn't moving, and everything was oddly quiet. He opened the curtains on the window of his compartment to confirm it, shivering slightly when his fingers grazed the glass, and upon seeing nothing that looked remotely like a station, he couldn't help but worry. Sure, it was snowing, but the path looked clear enough for the train to keep going. Was there something in the way...?

He dressed himself quickly, slipping on his shoes and running his options through his head as he tied the shoelaces. He could step out and find the nearest passenger, maybe they would know. He could try to find someone in the kitchen, surely the employees would know... And he could ask Victor.

Victor slept in the compartment next to Yuuri’s own, with Yuri Nikolayevich. The kid didn't quite hate Yuuri, but he'd always been pretty distant. The only reason he wasn't aggressive, Yuuri was pretty sure of that, was that he was a passenger, after all. Yuuri had started to always pick his current usual compartment after Victor had once persuaded him to, arguing that it'd be closer if they ever wanted to talk during Victor's free time. At this point, though, Yuuri was simply waiting until Yuri Nikolayevich got tired of them both and asked him to stop distracting Victor from his job. It was, surely, something bound to happen at some point.

Once in the hallway, Yuuri heard the faint sound of voices coming from the adjacent car, but no one seemed to be awake in the nearby compartments. With a soft knock on the door, he told himself that checking if Victor knew anything wouldn't be a bad idea anyway. He just hoped he wouldn’t be waking him up...

Only, Victor wasn't in his compartment. Neither was Yuri Nikolayevich. He knocked again, to make sure, but no one answered. The wooden door remained in place for a few seconds, cold to the touch, and when no one opened it, Yuuri changed plans.

Their shift must have already started, he thought, while deciding whether to make his way towards the dining car or not. Victor _had_ mentioned he had an early shift the previous night during dinner. Maybe he was busy. Maybe he was in the kitchen, helping his mother, or maybe he was down the other side of the car, tending to the heater.

He then tried to find Phichit, as well, but he didn't seem to be around either. He knocked on his door, going as far as to bringing an ear close to the wood in case he could hear him, but with no luck. The hallway was empty, and quiet. No one seemed to be in their rooms, or perhaps they weren't awake yet...

Eventually, as the feeling of something being off grew within Yuuri, he decided to find his answers in the dining car, which, as he got closer, was where everyone seemed to be.

He hadn't been expecting, however, to find _everyone_ gathered there already. He blinked in surprise, but thankfully Phichit spotted him first and waved with a tight smile. Yuuri rushed to the empty seat next to him.

"What's going on?" he asked in a whisper. Phichit shrugged.  
"They've been arguing for a while now in really fast Russian. I was sort of hoping you could help me here," he replied, pointing towards the commotion in the center of the room.  
"Those two?"  
"Well... everyone, really. I'm not sure why the train has stopped, all I've managed to piece together is that something has happened and they are searching the compartments... I think they've started from the far end, so they might not have reached yours yet."  
"They're bringing everyone here?"  
"That seems to be the plan, yes."

Victor and Yakov were the ones currently arguing, with the occasional word in from Mila, but they all shut up when the door opened again with a bang. Yuri Nikolayevich stood there, eyes sharp with a dangerous glint in them.

"Yakov is right," was all he said, pausing to look around, as if checking who was and wasn't there. "She's not in the train."  
"That's not possible though!" Victor said, and it sounded like he'd been trying to talk sense into a child's head for hours. He looked pale, paler than usual that was, and tired. Yuuri had never seen him like that before. "We haven't stopped anywhere after Yakov last saw her around 3am, in Perm!"

Yuuri shivered. Those words were awfully familiar, something he heard very often while on the job. Timestamps, witnesses, alibis… He wished desperately for Lilia to suddenly appear, chastising everybody for not being at their posts, but the silence went on. Mila sighed after a few tense seconds.

"And she's not in the train engine either, right?"  
"Of course not," Yakov growled. "I already checked."  
"I hate to interrupt..." a soft voice chimed in, and all eyes turned to look at a petite woman that sat nearby. Yuuri recognized her as Ms. Crispino, one of the Italian siblings from the day before. She stood up, strong willed despite her delicate frame. Yuuri thought, briefly, that she probably didn't require the amount of protection her brother seemed to think she did. Then she kept talking. "I hate to interrupt, but couldn't we search for her with the train moving? This is going to make us late, and..."  
"Yeah, my wife and I have to catch another train at Tayshet, and we can't allow this amount of delay," added Mr. Leroy. He didn't look mad, not really, but certainly stern. Yuuri winced on behalf of the crew.  
"Unfortunately, if there's a chance she might have fallen off the train we must make sure before continuing our journey," Victor explained patiently, despite still looking very pale. "Especially with this weather, we don't know what could happen if she was lost in the middle of the countryside. We will do everything in our power to solve this situation as quickly as possible, for now we ask for your understanding, please."

It seemed to soothe the passengers, at least for a little while. They returned to their breakfast, which Georgi was efficiently serving. He looked uncomfortable, if anything, but it didn't seem to be due to his new task. Rather, Yuuri thought, it probably was due to the tension mounting among the crew. He sighed, offering Georgi a sympathetic smile when he passed by his table, asking for their orders.

"What do you think has happened?" Phichit asked him after he dug into his sandwich. Yuuri took a sip of tea before answering.  
"I'm not sure. Victor said she was seen at 3am, and the last time I saw her myself was around 10pm... Here, in the dining car, with Victor."  
"You two had dinner together?" Chris asked, mischievously, but Yuuri brushed it away before they could get carried away.  
"We did. She and Yakov had an argument, and they both stormed off separately. He went away first, and after a few minutes, she did too."  
"What were they arguing about?"  
"I don't know, they were in the kitchen."  
"Do you really think she's fallen off the train?" Chris added, speculative. Yuuri considered it, but eventually shook his head.  
"No, I don't think so. She's worked here for years, and falling off a train isn't that easy, especially if you're used to being in one."  
"Hmm..."  
"Do you think she could have just gotten off on some station during the night?" Phichit asked. Chris was the one who shook his head this time.  
"They said we haven't stopped anywhere after 3am. "  
"Maybe she went away at that time? Or maybe she jumped off and ran away!" Phichit continued, and Yuuri couldn't help but laugh.  
"That would probably make a great article, but I'm not sure anyone would survive jumping off a moving train in this weather. She's a tough woman, but even she has her limits. She's not that young, either, you know."  
"Hmm, yeah..."  
"Please don't try to jump off the train just to prove a point," Yuuri added, hastily, and Phichit waved a hand with a chuckle.  
"I'm not suicidal yet, thank you very much. I wanna get home in one piece."  
"Just saying, you've been known to do risky stuff before."

Breakfast was tense, and the lack of movement, the lack of noise, left everyone feeling out of sorts. The only sounds were those of cutlery, plates, and the wind blowing outside. No one spoke much, and when they did, it was all whispers.

Yuuri didn't speak either. He left the conversation to Chris and Phichit, only answering when they prompted him, but otherwise just observing the rest of the passengers.

No one was too feisty, at least not yet, but they weren't at ease either. 

Miss Volkova and Mr. Karetnikov were sitting together next to the window on the back of the dining car, both of them looking through the glass and nursing cups of black tea between their hands, the way one would when it was cold. They wore heavy clothes for the temperature inside the train, but then again, with the conductors running around it didn’t seem like anyone was taking care of the heating. It was getting colder by the minute.

A few tables to their left, Mr. and Mrs. Leroy were holding hands, playing with each other's fingers and whispering to each other very quietly. Mrs. Leroy looked a little pale, but when her husband leaned in to brush her hair away and place a kiss on her temple, and the glint of the ring in his hand caught his eye, Yuuri looked away. Just looking at them gave the impression that you were intruding in something private.

The Crispino siblings and Mr. Nekola were the ones trying to fill the silence with something, and they'd brought out a deck of cards. They were playing some sort of game, and the young doctor and nurse had joined them. They looked a little worried, but Yuuri supposed that was to be expected. Many people had to make connections with other trains at various points in the journey. It wasn’t unheard of for this train to get delayed, especially considering the vast amount of land it traveled through, but it wasn’t all that common either. Yuuri himself had never been stuck in the middle of the railroad before, not in the middle of nowhere at least, though Victor had told him it could happen, if enough snow piled up or fell from nearby hills onto the rails. 

In any case, he hoped they would find Lilia soon. It was strange for her to have disappeared, and it was even stranger that they had decided to completely stop the train. The passengers and the schedule always came first, and it was probably out of line for Yakov to request that the train stopped. Yuuri hoped he wouldn’t face any repercussions from his superiors.

Otabek had been the only conductor that had stayed back, presumably to keep an eye on them and help Georgi, who had taken over the kitchen entirely and decided to start preparing himself in case he had to cook lunch. The man stood tall and quiet near the door, and Yuuri felt strangely at ease with him there. He seemed like the sort of person who was used to protecting others, and keeping things calm. If the passengers were to start getting agitated, he would probably manage it better than the other conductors.

Yuuri hadn't seen the conductors get mad before, except Yuri Nikolayevich, but that should go without saying. It wasn't a surprise that he was fond of Otabek, really, considering how calm the other was. Victor and Mila were good at solving problems with a patient smile, even if Mila was terrifying when she was mad at Yuri Nikolayevich. Yakov rarely dealt with the passengers, unless someone specifically requested it, but his stern no-nonsense demeanor kept things civil. While Yuuri couldn't say he'd seen Lilia smile all that much, she was more of the quiet type around most passengers, leaving her harshest words for the rest of the crew.

It was at least an hour before Mila came back, announcing they could return to their compartments. Yakov followed her into the kitchen, but made no comment, simply entering the room and closing the door behind himself.

There weren't that many places to be within a train, moving or not, Yuuri told himself, and he didn't particularly fancy spending time alone in his room, so he stayed with Phichit and Chris. They eventually joined the Crispinos in their card game, when Leo and Guang-Hong went back to their compartment, and they seemed to be in the middle of a conversation about their current situation.

"We only have about half a day of buffer, you know?" Michele was saying, keeping his voice low, but still managing to sound grumpy. "If we lose our connection I might just sue them."  
"It'll be fine, Micky," Sara reassured him, with the tone one would take with a toddler. Yuuri could tell they’d been bickering about it for a while. "I'm sure we'll start moving again soon. They can't stop the train indefinitely after all, not in the middle of the railway."  
"Plus, they won't want to have any troubles with passengers like you," added Emil, and while his smile was friendly, there was a hint of teasing in his eyes. Michele didn't answer.

Yuuri hoped they were all right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are finally picking up the pace! [scream emoji]
> 
> #
> 
> Thanks for reading! I hope you've enjoyed my story :D
> 
> If you did, please consider leaving kudos or a comment, they're greatly appreciated! If you want to yell with me and share more headcanons for these two dorks, you can find me at my tumblr, [kyokotsukuyomi](http://kyokotsukuyomi.tumblr.com/), the comments section down below, or any of the links in my profile. The lovely artist who did the art for this fic is Dyeingdoll, you can find her on her [tumblr](https://dyeingdoll.tumblr.com/)! Don't be shy!
> 
> Love,
> 
> ~Lena
> 
> P.S.: the art will be embedded on the chapter where the scene happens, no worries ;)


	7. Chapter 6: … every problem is a nail.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You know what they’re thinking, Victor. _You’re_ thinking it too. What do you think they’ll see when I take on the case?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, apparently Ao3 thought I'd like all my chapters to have a publication date of Oct 5th? I'm going to fix that asap, but for now let's hope that this chapter shows in the newly published works... No wonders this wasn't getting nearly as many views as any other of my works :/  
> Oh, well, at least I spotted the problem half-way through, and not after I posted the whole thing. 
> 
> #
> 
> Music I have personally listened to while writing this fic:  
> Trans-Siberian railway on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/user/1231244904/playlist/1okqSG4DDS3pRJsYCZRI3S?si=ySjwpso7Rw-sqUVGvaLNgA)  
> Mystery music on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/user/bezoing/playlist/28ICiQDK37yaahRZD7aX3J?si=y5-F9syiQbSpkZfSP3N88w)  
>  **Personal recommendation for the victuuri conversation!:** The Vanishing of Ethan Carter Soundtrack on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/album/1URAPPYkkYGElm3JVwgRfs?si=0sMpDEwuQWCSlnljT0AMaQ)  
>  **Personal recommendation for the first part, when Yuuri is alone!:** 10 hours of train sounds on [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGpsKIDd4kg)

#  **Chapter 6: … every problem is a nail.**

Otabek had gone away after a while, and for most of the game no other conductor appeared in the dining car. When Yuuri finally excused himself and walked back to his compartment, however, he found Victor and Yuri Nikolayevich discussing something in the hallway. And by 'discussing', it meant Victor was getting an earful about it. He looked exhausted, and Yuuri winced on his behalf, waving slightly to make his presence known.

"Yuuri!" he exclaimed upon seeing him, though it sounded more like a sigh of relief. Yuuri waved with his fingers again.  
"Victor. Yuri Nikolayevich," he greeted, unsure of what to say now that he was there. The younger conductor turned around to look at him.  
"Tch. Listen, we're a bit busy here, is there anything you need from us?"  
"No," Yuuri assured him quickly. This was probably the closest he'd been to rude to him before, and considering his incredible work ethic, it said something to the stress he was under. "I'll be in my compartment. Please let me know if I can help in any way."

He bowed slightly out of habit, and then made a move to walk past them. They stepped aside, but Victor still found it in himself to briefly grab Yuuri's wrist as he passed. He smiled at him.

"I apologize for the trouble, Yuuri,” he whispered, and Yuuri shook his head.  
"It's alright... Did Mrs. Feltsman...?" he asked, and Victor grimaced. He didn’t speak for a second too long, and they were interrupted.  
"The train will start moving soon," Yuri Nikolayevich answered instead. "Make sure you don't get startled and fall of the train too."  
"Yura!" Victor chastised, but Yuuri laughed at the thought.  
"I must keep that in mind," he agreed, placing his other hand above Victor's to reassure him that it was fine. "I won't keep you, then. Best of luck with the search."

He meant it. Lilia wasn't just a member of the crew. She was Victor's mother, whether biological or not, and from what Yuuri had seen in his time in the train, Victor adored her. He was nothing but grateful towards her and Yakov, even if lately they seemed to be straining his patience.

With a last reassuring squeeze on Victor’s fingers, he let go and walked to his compartment.

#

Yuuri's compartment was cold. The entire car was. When the train had stopped, it was clear that every conductor had left their duties to search for the missing person, and the heating must have stopped running at some point. He burrowed himself between the bedsheets and tried to read for a while, thankful for at least being inside. He didn’t even want to think about how cold it must be outside...

Nothing disturbed him, and a little later, he emerged back from his book. He couldn't help but sigh. The train was still not moving, which was distracting on its own, and now there were clear signs of agitation outside. He hadn't been paying attention, but the voices nearby were growing nervous, even if still hushed. Occasionally, he could even hear Plisetsky yelling at someone.

He stood up, shivering from the cold that swarmed around him as he dropped the blankets. He rearranged them a bit before daring to open the door. Grabbing a mug he had in his compartment, he ventured into the corridor again, reaching the end, where a tank of hot water waited. No one was there, but in the compartment next to it, Yakov seemed to be also yelling at someone. It made Yuuri wonder if he should intervene, but eventually he decided he shouldn't pry into private matters. At least, not until someone requested his help.

He opened the tap and watched as hot water poured into his cup, warming the glass, and the metal holder around it. By the time he closed the tap again, the warmth was barely reaching his fingers.

A crash startled him, however; the sound of someone dropping something, or perhaps someone hitting a wall with something. He placed his cup on the small table next to the water tank to stabilize it, but a few drops hit the carpet anyway. After a moment, the compartment's door closer to him opened and Victor stormed out, nearly running into Yuuri. They both blinked, and Victor turned pink.

"Yuuri, I'm sorry," he started. Yuuri shook his head again, dismissing the apology once more.  
"Is everything alright? Have you found...?"  
"... Not yet," Victor admitted, and a chill ran down Yuuri's spine. "Yakov is really stressed."  
"I can only imagine," he agreed, placing a soothing hand on Victor's arm. "Is there... anything I can do to help?"  
"I think it would only rile Yakov up even more, sadly..."  
"I understand. I won't keep you if..."  
"Oh, no, I..." Victor chuckled nervously. "I was just trying to get some space for a moment. Yakov and Yura are getting on my nerves. They're both... easily excitable, as I guess you've heard."

Yuuri had. Their voices were loud and clear over the sound of the wind, especially considering the train was still at a standstill. After a short moment of silence, he sighed, and pulled on Victor's arm towards his compartment.

"Come in for a minute. They won't look for you here."  
"Yuuri..."  
"Do you want tea?"  
"... Yes. Thank you, Yuuri, I..."  
"It's the least I can do."

The compartment was just as cold as it had been before, but Yuuri made sure he didn't mention it. He took a small case in which he had a small assortment of teas, and offered it to Victor, who picked one. As Yuuri placed the leaves on the strainer, hoping the water would still be hot enough, Victor sighed. He rubbed his face with a gloved hand, before taking them off to rub his hands together.

"I'm supposed to keep an eye on the heater, but Yakov won't let me stop searching. Where else am I supposed to search? She's not here, Yuuri. She's not in the train anymore. Whether she's stepped down or she's fallen, we have no way to know. Yakov has been searching outside, and he also hasn't found her. She's gone."  
"Have you guys tried calling the last station we were at, ask if she was seen there?"  
"I think Mila did, but I don't know what they said. I assume she wasn't there either, or we'd know by now..."  
"Right..."  
"Yakov wants us to do another sweep of the train before starting the engine again," Victor added, taking the cup from Yuuri with a grateful smile. "I don't have a lot of time."  
"When did you say was the last time you saw her?" Yuuri asked, and while Victor seemed to know what he was doing, and he had denied him before, he still obliged.  
"Yakov swears he saw her walk past their compartment at 3 am, and he assumed it was towards the bathroom. When he woke up again, hours later, she was nowhere to be seen. It was too early for her to be already at the kitchen, preparing breakfast, and he got worried. He woke all of us up, asking us if we knew anything, but no one did. The last time _I_ saw her... I'm pretty sure it was when we were in the dining car, you and I."  
“Pretty sure?” Yuuri pressed, and Victor sighed. He looked conflicted.  
“We had a stop at 3 am, in Perm. I was sleeping, since it wasn’t my shift, so I didn’t go out of my compartment. I remember I woke up when we stopped, briefly, and then woke up properly when the train whistled as we started moving again. I didn’t get up, but through the door, I could swear I heard someone walk past my compartment. It could have only been Lilia or Yakov, but as I didn’t see them, I can’t really say.”  
“Hmm…”  
“But it had to be her, right? If Yakov saw her leave the compartment around the same time, and I heard someone walk past my compartment after we started moving…”  
“And you’re certain they were walking away from the dining car, and not in the other direction?”  
“Pretty sure, yeah. There is nothing to do in the dining car in the middle of the night, anyway. And it fits with Yakov’s stoy, as well…”  
“I guess… but then, that means she was still here when the train started moving, doesn’t it?”  
“Well, the whistle sounds when we start moving, so if she had jumped out then, she still could have made it, probably. Though it’s very much not a good idea. She could have fallen in between the train and the station.”  
“The station’s crew would have noticed if that was the case.”  
“I suppose.”  
“And other than that, you said you saw her before?”  
“Well, yeah, when we were together, after dinner.”  
"I remember as well. It was around 10 pm, perhaps 10:15."  
"Yes. Good memory."  
"Hm."  
"What do you think, Yuuri? Have you seen anything...?"  
"Not really, no. I haven't been looking for her, though."  
"Right, of course..."

Victor wasn't looking at Yuuri as he said this, instead looking out of the window while drinking his tea. The wind sent a flurry of fresh snow towards them, and it stuck to the window, melting, but not quite as fast as it would with the train running. Yuuri felt strangely inadequate at consoling Victor. Then again, it wasn't like he could do much… 

Or maybe he could.

"Yuuri, would you help us look?" Victor asked all of a sudden, startling, apparently, even himself. He reddened, but didn't take it back. "Yakov will be mad, yes, but it's probably our only chance. We've searched the cars twice already, and there's only so much we can find out at a glance. I know what you're able to do, if there were any clues to find her you'd be much better at this than us..."  
"You're giving me too much credit. You're a great observer as well, Victor. I wouldn’t want Yakov to…"  
"Nonsense. Your eye is better trained at this than mine. Please, Yuuri..."  
“Of course I will help you. If you’re sure, that is.”  
“I am. We need help, and having you with us will eventually reassure Yakov that we’ve done everything we can,” Victor enthused. Yuuri nodded.  
"Very well, then. You said you're looking in every compartment?"  
"We've done a search only once, during the time we asked you all to stay in the dining car, but we haven't searched anyone's personal effects, only the compartments themselves." Yuuri nodded again, and Victor took another sip of tea before continuing. "We're intending to do the same once more before... well, before giving up. Yakov said he’d look in the cargo wagons, but I don’t think you’ll find anything there."

Yuuri considered his situation. He was more than willing to help, of course he was. The crew had valiantly resisted the notion that Lilia had simply disappeared, and had been looking for a while, but after a few hours, she didn’t show signs of reappearing. Yuuri himself knew how painful it could be to be unsure of your family’s well-being.

“I want to help,” he affirmed softly, and Victor’s features softened in a smile. “I want to help, but I have one more concern. I would hope the crew wouldn’t be against it, but do you think the passengers will be? They might think I’m compromised for this task. They know, after all, that you and I…” he blushed, and Victor chuckled, a sound that did things to Yuuri’s heart. He couldn’t help but smile, against his better judgment, somewhat resignedly. “You know what they’re thinking, Victor. _You’re_ thinking it too. What do you think they’ll see when I take on the case?”  
“I don’t think they’ll be against it. It’s not like we’re hiding anything, are we? And if someone in the crew had something to do with my mother’s disappearance, I want to know. I don’t want you to play favorites, and I’m only asking you because I trust you not to do so in the first place, Yuuri.”  
“I know you do. And I won’t play favorites.”  
“Good,” Victor said before he could keep talking, and then he winked before saying. “By all means, however, do tell me what the rest of the passengers think we are. I’m all ears.”

Yuuri rolled his eyes, and watched while Victor leaned into him, brushing his cheek against Yuuri’s to be able to place his teacup on the table. When he leaned back, his blue eyes were playful, and full of intent. It made him shiver.

“Well?” he pressed on, all but a whisper.  
“I get it, Victor. But I’m already compromised enough as it is. Don’t make things worse for me,” he asked, quietly. Victor nodded, thoughtful, and pulled away.  
"I understand. Shall we, then?"  
“H-huh?”  
“Shall we go tell Yakov, and then check the compartments?”  
"Yes," Yuuri agreed, and followed Victor as he got up from where he was sitting on the bed.

He looked back before closing the door, taking a minute to compose himself. The now empty teacup laid on Yuuri's bedside table. Next to it laid the small packet he had been waiting to give Victor, but he hadn’t noticed it, and Yuuri decided it probably wasn't the best moment for that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you've enjoyed my story :D
> 
> If you did, please consider leaving kudos or a comment, they're greatly appreciated! If you want to yell with me and share more headcanons for these two dorks, you can find me at my tumblr, [kyokotsukuyomi](http://kyokotsukuyomi.tumblr.com/), the comments section down below, or any of the links in my profile. The lovely artist who did the art for this fic is Dyeingdoll, you can find her on her [tumblr](https://dyeingdoll.tumblr.com/)! Don't be shy!
> 
> Love,
> 
> ~Lena
> 
> P.S.: the art will be embedded on the chapter where the scene happens, no worries ;)


	8. Chapter 7: The game is on.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Huh? Oh, sure. She's also not there, though."  
> "Now _that_ would be a good plot twist, huh?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music I have personally listened to while writing this fic:  
> Trans-Siberian railway on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/user/1231244904/playlist/1okqSG4DDS3pRJsYCZRI3S?si=ySjwpso7Rw-sqUVGvaLNgA)  
>  **Personal recommendation for this chapter!:** Mystery music on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/user/bezoing/playlist/28ICiQDK37yaahRZD7aX3J?si=y5-F9syiQbSpkZfSP3N88w)  
>  **Personal recommendation for this chapter!:** The Vanishing of Ethan Carter Soundtrack on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/album/1URAPPYkkYGElm3JVwgRfs?si=0sMpDEwuQWCSlnljT0AMaQ)  
>  10 hours of train sounds on [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGpsKIDd4kg)

****

# Chapter 7: The game is on.

****

When they left the compartment, with Victor adjusting his gloves back on, Yakov and Plisetsky were looking for him. They turned around when they heard the door, looking confused. Victor took a deep breath.

"I have asked Yuuri to assist me during this last search. I know your position about this, but I truly think it's our best chance," he announced, making it clear he wasn’t joking, or waiting for permission. Yakov sputtered, glancing between Victor and Yuuri before speaking.  
"Vitya, you...!" he sounded confused, rather than angry, which Yuuri took as a good sign.  
"Yuuri has already agreed. We'll start looking from the back, I’ll go get Mila. If you want us to do this final pass, I suggest you start telling whoever else is free to go back to their usual jobs, save for Georgi who is probably almost done with lunch. The train is freezing, Yakov, don't think the passengers won't notice."  
"... Yura, take care of the heater while Vitya finishes up here."  
"Yes, sir," he replied immediately, though the surprise was obvious in his face.  
"We won't take long," Victor reassured them, avoiding Plisetsky's furious eyes and turning around to look at Yuuri. "That way first. We'll end up back here and will tell Yakov what we've found."  
"Alright."

Apparently, Victor told Yuuri as they walked down the corridor, since Georgi was in the kitchen, Mila was taking over his shift, and it was her responsibility to search the second car, as it was Victor's responsibility to look around in this one. Since he’d rather go with Yuuri when he next saw Yakov, though, it would be best to search backwards. They joined Mila in the next car, and she agreed. In the meantime, Victor said he would help Yuri Nikolayevich with the heater.

The first compartment was in the dark, and Mila apologized profusely to the two men inside when she asked to enter, and introduced Yuuri. Interestingly enough, despite being on the last compartment, they were the two drivers of the train, both taking a nap while the train was stopped. The older one, Nikolai, inquired about when they would allow them to keep moving. 

“It won’t be long, I don’t think,” Mila answered quietly. “Yakov wants us to do this final search of the train before we keep moving, in case we find Lilia somewhere.”  
“I hope she is alright,” Nikolai mused to himself, expression puzzled. “I wonder where she could have gone, really. I just talked to her yesterday at lunch, she said she’d make golubtsy today…”  
“We’re doing our best to find her, Nikolai.”

The other man, younger, but still well into his forties, kept quiet. He looked tired, and Yuuri quickly learned that he had been the one driving during the night. This gave him an alibi, Yuuri thought to himself, while taking a good look at the compartment. 

The beds weren’t made, unsurprisingly since they’d been using them until just now, and the curtains were drawn. Upon switching the light on, Yuuri could see two medium sized travel bags under the beds, two pairs of boots, and two similar coats on the back of the door. There was an ashtray on the bedside table, which was empty, and a packet of cigarettes near the bed of the younger driver, a man Mila had addressed as Sergei Mihailovich. The packet was still closed, and the compartment didn’t smell of smoke. Yuuri concluded that Sergei probably wasn’t a heavy smoker.

With a quiet nod to Mila, he left the compartment. She joined him in the hallway moments after, letting the men go back to sleep, and promising to come wake Nikolai as soon as Yakov allowed. She then looked at Yuuri, curiously.

“Did you get any information from just looking?” she asked. Yuuri nodded.  
“I’m not here to interrogate anyone without any basis. They don’t seem to have any motives, and one of them was driving the whole night. They don’t seem to have any weapons with them, either, and she’s not hiding in their compartment.”  
“Of course they wouldn’t have weapons!” she laughed. “Do you really think Lilia was killed?” she added then, a little incredulous, but still genuinely curious. Yuuri considered it, and then shrugged.  
“I don’t think anything. I just know she’s not around, and apparently you guys haven’t found her, alive or not. If it came to the worst, I imagine whoever did it might have needed a weapon.”  
“Well… I’ll keep an eye out for that.”

The next compartment were the Leroys. Their table was hastily cleared by the time Yuuri got to see it, but they skittishly allowed them to search around. This wasn’t unusual on itself. People sometimes felt that clearing the space would help Yuuri’s work, when in fact made it harder. But no matter. Spotting quickly the objects under the pillows, he took note of whatever he could still see, and then let them go back to their conversation, nodding politely towards Mila once more. The Leroys didn’t seem uncooperative, just confused.

The third compartment contained three people; both Crispinos and Mr. Nekola. They were drinking tea and talking animatedly, and they didn’t offer any resistance either. Sara seemed amused, and crossed a glance full of significance with Mila as Yuuri looked around. He noted it for later; the look, and also the way Sara’s brother frowned behind her back.

Sara walked them to her compartment, next door, and opened it without hesitation. Her night clothes were neatly folded atop the pillow, with a small bag for toiletries on top. Yuuri stepped in, carefully observing the spaces over and under the beds, and the clean bedsheets on the unused bed, the one closest to the previous compartment. By the time he stepped out, the look the two women had crossed before held much more significance, and he smiled at them secretively. If they noticed, or guessed that he knew, they didn’t make any comment.

When Sara returned to her brother’s compartment, joining the conversation and closing the door behind her, Mila simply walked ahead and knocked on the next one. At first, no one answered, but after a few minutes, Otabek opened the door, blinking slowly.

“Is it my turn already?” he asked, voice rough with sleep, and Yuuri winced.  
“Not yet. I’m sorry for waking you up again, Beka,” Mila replied, just as sympathetically. “We’re doing a final pass through the compartments before we keep moving.”  
“It’s alright,” he answered, almost automatically, letting them go inside. He closed his eyes and leaned against the outside of the door, shivering slightly.  
“We won’t take long,” she promised.  
“It’s alright,” he repeated, but he looked like he was falling asleep again, already, still standing up. Yuuri hurried inside.

The bedsheets had been haphazardly thrown away when he’d gotten up, but the other bed looked tidy. A bag and another pair of boots laid under it, and when Yuuri asked, Mila told him that this was Georgi’s bed. He nodded, pushing the information back for later use.

Mila’s own compartment was next, the last in the second wagon. Otabek stood by, next to Mila, while Yuuri looked inside, but it seemed to be spotless. The bed had been made, and it was neatly tucked on the sides, no signs of anyone having used it after the past night. There were no lines on the surface either, the way there would be if you sat atop. Mila’s bag laid under the bed, half open and filled with clothes, next to a pair of comfortable shoes. 

When he emerged from the compartment, Otabek went back into his own without a word, and soon enough, they could hear him settling back into his bed. Mila bit on her lip, looking at Yuuri as though he might have something to say, but he didn’t.

“I take it Victor asked you, finally?” she murmured after a while. Yuuri tilted his head.  
“Asked me to check the compartments with you? Yes, he…”  
“No, no,” she waved a hand in the air, and then used it to twirl a piece of red hair between her fingers. “I mean… You travel a lot, right?”  
“You could say so,” he replied, cautiously. He wasn’t sure of where Mila was going with this.  
“Victor has always wanted to travel. And you two are so close, after all… I can only imagine he would ask you to take him with you.”  
“Mila, he has a job here. And a family. He wouldn’t just leave,” he chastised her, slightly uncomfortable with the implications in her words, but she just laughed.  
“Right! But his parents are a nightmare lately, and I wouldn’t blame him in the least if he decided to go away. I mean, just look at Lilia. She saw a chance and left!”  
“So you think Mrs. Feltsman went away willingly?” he arched an eyebrow, and Mila crossed her arms.  
“I… I can’t prove anything. I just don’t think anyone here would have any reason to harm her, that’s all. Plus, she had just had an argument with Yakov, maybe that was the last straw for her, you know what I mean? Working here isn’t exactly a walk in the park, and she’s tired. She’s been for a while.”  
“Would you say it’s normal behaviour for her, then, to leave in the middle of the journey, with no way to return back home, without any of her personal effects, without even telling anyone or saying goodbye to her husband and son? Without telling _any_ of you, ostensibly the closest people to her?” Yuuri inquired.

This seemed to hit Mila harder than Yuuri had expected, and her eyes watered slightly. She wasn’t angry, or hurt, however. Instead, Yuuri could see fear finally starting to settle behind her carefully guarded expression. He placed a comforting hand on her upper arm, squeezing softly.

“I’m going to do my very best to find Mrs. Feltsman, Mila. I give you my word. I’m not doing this just for Victor, you know? I’m doing this because in the past couple of years, you guys have always treated me like family. It’s my time to return the favor. I’m doing this because I’m also worried about her, and I don’t want to see all of you worry for any longer.”  
“Yuuri…”  
“You’ve always been a strong woman, Mila. Don’t let the circumstances get you down. We’re going to find her.”  
“Yes,” she nodded, and her short hair bounced slightly above her shoulders. She wiped her misty eyes, careful of her makeup. “Yes, we are. I’m sorry, Yuuri. I didn’t meant to imply…” She searched for words, finding none, and then trying again. “What I mean is, I’m very touched that you would do this for us. All of us, that is. Thank you.”  
“It’s all fine,” he smiled. “I know Victor and I are… whatever we are,” he rolled his eyes, and Mila giggled quietly. “I can’t blame you for assuming.”

Mila was about to answer, when someone else interrupted the conversation.

“Assuming we are what, exactly, Yuuri dear?” came Victor’s voice, amused, from behind Yuuri’s back. He rolled his eyes once more, theatrically, to Mila before turning around.  
“Why, Victor, I thought you were on charge of the heater?” he asked, raising his eyebrows. Victor grinned.  
“I was. The heater is working again. If you’re still cold however, please, by all means, let me help you with that,” he added, almost as an afterthought, almost as if his eyes weren’t glinting with mischief. Yuuri felt his cheeks redden.  
“That won’t be necessary,” he managed. “I’d appreciate it if you could help me search the other wagon, though.”  
“Of course,” Victor replied, and his smile was soft, understanding. Yuuri breathed with relief, knowing he wasn’t hurt by the refusal.

Mila waved them off as they went away, and Victor closed the door behind him as he followed Yuuri into the small space between wagons. He stopped him, however, taking his hand before he could open the next door. Yuuri looked at him, surprised.

“Victor?”  
“Jokes aside,” he said quickly, cheeks and nose going red, though whether it was because of the cold or his own words, Yuuri couldn’t tell. “I heard part of what you told Mila, and I’m very touched as well. I know we are ‘whatever we are’,” he added, smiling warmly. “But aside from that, it means a lot to me that you consider them all family as well.”

Yuuri didn’t really have a chance to answer, because the door from the wagon opened abruptly, and they were confronted with Yuri Nikolayevich. He looked startled for a second, before catching a glimpse of their joined hands and scowling at them. Victor didn’t let go, and Yuuri allowed it, wondering if he was trying to prove something.

“I thought you were going to help them, not distract him,” he murmured towards Victor, who shrugged.  
“They already finished. We were going to get started with this wagon. Where are you going?”  
“Yakov said I should search the cargo and mail wagons one last time. If she’s not there, I’m supposed to tell grandpa about it so we can start moving again, so hurry up with the compartments.”  
“Alright. We’ll be quick.”  
“I don’t think she’s here anymore,” Plisetsky grumbled, and Victor sighed. 

They all maneuvered so that Plisetsky could pass to the other side and they could reach the first wagon, but still, Victor had something to add.

“To tell you the truth, neither do I. There aren’t many places to hide in when you’re in a train.”  
“And we’ve already looked twice,” Plisetsky agreed, and he sounded a little whiny. “I can’t believe she’d disappear like this, and compromise all of our schedules like this! She’s the one always going on about how we all have specific tasks, and now…!” 

Plisetsky seemed to catch himself before he could finish the sentence, scowling at Yuuri before pushing down his complaints. He nodded curtly, and awkwardly, before grabbing the door handle to the second wagon.

“Right. Well, I better go,” he said, and scuttled off, door slamming behind him. Yuuri and Victor looked at each other for a second before laughing.  
“He’s just a kid, sometimes. He’s barely sixteen,” Victor mused, leading Yuuri into the warmth of the first wagon, now finally starting to come to a decent temperature after having the heater on for a while.

Yuuri didn’t answer, but he couldn’t help a smile. He’d always thought Plisetsky was way too young to have such a good work ethic, and learning how young he actually was only made his respect for the kid grow. He still could stand to be a tad less grumpy, but then again, he was _sixteen_. He would have time to grow out of it.

The first compartment they looked into, was Miss Volkova’s and Mr. Karetnikov’s. They didn’t seem too surprised to see Yuuri, and they awkwardly allowed them to look around after Victor explained and apologized for the intrusion. There weren’t many things on the table, just a a book and teacups. The book was turned to her side. Under the beds was the pair of boots that Mr. Karetnikov wasn’t using at the moment, and above their beds was their luggage; a small suitcase and a bigger one, which looked like it still had some empty space in it. 

The next compartment was Phichit's. He was there, with Chris, talking about something. Victor apologized profusely again, just like before, but they didn't take it personally. They moved out of the way, and Yuuri was allowed to step inside. The open window was impossible to ignore; even if the curtains stopped any snow from coming in, the air trickled slowly into the cabin and it was surprising how warm it still was there. Aside from that, however, there weren’t many things out of place. They seemed, to most observers, to have been just talking, and Yuuri left them alone as soon as he could. He still threw a disapproving look at Phichit as he went away, but his friend just laughed it off, waving him goodbye. Yuuri shook his head.

Mr. Ji and Mr. de la Iglesia were next. They were quiet, and it was the young doctor who opened the door. The nurse seemed to be sleeping, and he looked even younger than he actually was. 

“I won’t wake him, don’t worry,” Yuuri promised, when he realized Leo wasn’t too keen on having them in the compartment.  
“Is this still about that woman, the cook? Have you guys not found her?” he asked in hushed tones. Victor nodded briefly, and Leo made a face. “Sheesh, that’s… I’m sorry to hear that. Do you think she’s alright?”  
“We’re still looking for her, so we can’t say for sure…” Yuuri started.  
“You’re a detective, yes?” Leo interrupted, tilting his head. “Are you taking the case?”  
“I am,” Yuuri said.  
“Then… I don’t know how useful this information will be for you, but you should probably know I talked to her yesterday, at night. It was around ten thirty, give or take a few minutes. She looked rather upset, she was just staring out of the windows of this wagon.”  
“Ten thirty…”  
“Yes. She was already there when I went out of my compartment. She looked a little pale, so I asked if she was alright, and she said she was. I think I might have upset her a little… since she just said she’d see me at breakfast and walked away,” he admitted, shyly.  
“She’s just a little difficult to talk to, sometimes. I don’t think she was bothered by your words, Mr. de la Iglesia,” Yuuri smiled.  
“Just Leo is fine,” he said with a hint of relief. “And I’m glad to hear that. It wasn’t my intention to…”  
“I’m sure she appreciated it,” Victor smiled at him too.  
“Could you possibly recall her exact words?” Yuuri asked softly. Leo frowned, deep in thought for a few moments.  
“I’m not sure, but something along the lines of ‘I’m fine. I’ll see you at breakfast, sir. Tea will be on the house’.”  
“I’m fairly sure that was her way of thanking you for worrying,” Victor assured him, laughing quietly, mindful of the sleeping man next to them. Leo smiled.  
“I… I suppose so.”

Yuuri took a cursory glance around, checking quickly under and above the beds. Nothing was out of place there either, and they soon left them alone again after thanking him for the information.

At last, they arrived to Yuuri’s compartment. It was just as they’d left it, and Yuuri smiled as he let Victor in with a hint of irony. Victor made a show of looking around with a face of deep concentration, and then laughed.

"So, she wasn't there," Victor concluded. Yuuri smiled briefly, and cocked his head to the left, indicating Victor's compartment, and Yakov's next to it.  
"May I?"  
"Huh? Oh, sure. She's also not there, though," Victor laughed.  
"Now that would be a good plot twist, huh?"

That made Victor laugh again, which was a small win in Yuuri's book. He peered into the compartment, taking notice of anything he found unusual, as he'd been doing for the entire search. There was no one inside. Plisetsky’s bed was made, and he had a bunch of objects haphazardly thrown around it. A book, a notebook with a pencil case near it, and what looked like a pijama half buried under the pillow.

Victor’s bed, instead, was much tidier. There was nothing on top of it, except for a single suitcase that was sitting at the feet of the bed, nearest to the door. Yuuri knew from experience that Victor kept in it his most personal possessions. A few letters, pictures, and random items he’d collected during his life in the train. Conductors only got a couple of days off work after every journey, so Victor felt he’d spent more time in the train than anywhere else in his life. Seeing the suitcase always made Yuuri smile. They’d both spent hours talking about its contents, and about what they meant to Victor. It had started a tradition of Yuuri bringing his own mementos with him so he could show them to Victor.

Under the beds were just shoes, and above them their luggage, but once more, not many things that Yuuri could call a clue.

Yakov's compartment wasn't locked, so after a moment of hesitation, he went in as well. Victor waited, back resting on the doorframe. It was as Yuuri stood up from examining the shoes under the beds, that he couldn't help but notice Victor's own boots.

"Have you been looking outside?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just in case you're confused about compartment order or want a quick reference!
> 
> From front (dining car) to back (mail car):  
>  **A. Dining car**  
>  **B. First passenger's car**  
>  1\. Yakov/Lilia  
> 2\. Victor/Yurio  
> 3\. Yuuri  
> 4\. Guang Hong/Leo  
> 5\. Phichit/Chris  
> 6\. Artem/Daria  
>  **C. Second passenger's car**  
>  7\. Mila  
> 8\. Georgi/Otabek  
> 9\. Sara  
> 10\. Michele/Emil  
> 11\. JJ/Isabella  
> 12\. Nikolai/Sergei Mihailovich  
>  **D. First cargo wagon**  
>  **E. Second cargo wagon**  
>  **F. Mail wagon.**
> 
>  
> 
> #
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks for reading! I hope you've enjoyed my story :D
> 
> If you did, please consider leaving kudos or a comment, they're greatly appreciated! If you want to yell with me and share more headcanons for these two dorks, you can find me at my tumblr, [kyokotsukuyomi](http://kyokotsukuyomi.tumblr.com/), the comments section down below, or any of the links in my profile. The lovely artist who did the art for this fic is Dyeingdoll, you can find her on her [tumblr](https://dyeingdoll.tumblr.com/)! Don't be shy!
> 
> Love,
> 
> ~Lena
> 
> P.S.: the art will be embedded in the chapter where the scene happens, no worries ;)


	9. Chapter 8: Preliminary findings.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I'm happy to help. Please, if anything ever happened, I'm at your service. The crew has always treated me like a friend, it's the least I could do."
> 
> "Like a friend, huh?" Yakov raised an eyebrow towards his son, with a small smirk. "I'm sure that's right."

#  **Chapter 8: Preliminary findings.**

_Yakov's compartment wasn't locked, so after a moment of hesitation, he went in as well. Victor waited, back resting on the doorframe. It was as Yuuri stood up from examining the shoes under the beds, that he couldn't help but notice Victor's own boots._

_"Have you been looking outside?"_

 

"Huh? No, I wasn't. Yakov was, though, with Yura."  
"I see," Yuuri blinked, confused. "Whose compartments have you searched, other than the ones in this car?"  
"I helped Mila search one compartment of the next car, the one occupied by Otabek and Georgi, since neither of them were around."  
"Otabek and Georgi's?"  
"It's sort of a policy of ours, but we never search an empty compartment without some sort of witness. Nothing has ever happened, but we like to have that, just in case a passenger would accuse us of robbery or anything of the sort. The rooms can be closed, and we're the only ones with master keys, so generally we avoid doing that on our own."  
"Better safe than sorry?"  
"Yes, you could say that."  
"Alright, makes sense… Hold on, let me get my notepad from my room."

Yuuri's notepad was not in the greatest condition. It was getting full, especially after his last case, and the covers were more than a little worn on the edges. He found the first unused page and bent it backwards out of habit, using the nearest wall to write against.

"Did you see anything weird just now?" Victor asked, voice slightly surprised. Yuuri chuckled.  
"No, I wouldn't say that. But I make a point to note everything I can. Small details from every compartment, for sure, but the only truly strange thing I've seen, so far, is the snow melting away on your boots."  
"Snow on... Oh, you're right."  
"You say you haven't been outside, so where did it come from? No compartment had snow in it, but it couldn’t have just melted, because your boots still have some. So did someone wipe away snow from their compartment? Or did you get snow from somewhere else, maybe while we were crossing wagons? My boots have some water on the soles, but not snow, though. I imagine it’s not very important, but one never knows."  
"I see… What did you see in the other compartments, then?"  
"Hmm… Well, Phichit and Chris had their window open, despite the fact that the train is cold right now."  
"Now that you mention it…"  
"I'm not one to make assumptions, but after some thought, and considering it didn't seem excessively cold in there, I must assume they managed to... heat the room up, and wanted to let in fresh air," Yuuri admitted, and watched amusedly as Victor pieced together the meaning on his own. He chuckled, and nodded.  
"I see. Not unusual, I'll admit."  
"Yeah?"  
"Oh, yeah. Passengers like the thrill, I suppose…" he smirked briefly. “If you’re wondering, yes, I _have_ accidentally interrupted some interesting exchanges before. It’s always amusing, though I don’t think it is for them.”  
"Fair enough. In any case, this means they've probably been there for a while, too."  
"Anyone else?"  
"Mr. Ji… well, Mr. de la Iglesia was very skittish about it when you asked if you could look around their room, even though they didn't turn out to have anything suspicious. It _could_ be because Mr. Ji was sleeping, I suppose. And the Leroys, in the other car, cleared their table as soon as we knocked on the door, and had their passports haphazardly shoved under a pillow... Other than that, I didn't see anything strange in either of our compartments, though I must admit, the number of shoes under Mrs. Feltsman's bed is very concerning."  
"Shoes?"  
"There's an uneven number of shoes," Yuuri mumbled, resting a finger on his lips for a second, trying to think of an explanation, a mannerism he’d picked up from Victor. Every time he caught himself doing it, it made his lips tingle briefly. He shook his head, forcing his thoughts to stay on the right track. "It only makes me think of one scenario, really, and I'd rather not jump to conclusions…"  
"Wait, what scenario? Yuuri?"  
"Don't worry about it for now, Victor."

Yuuri mentally chided himself for even bringing it up. It was only a possibility, and it could be due to any number of reasons. Maybe the missing shoe would turn up somewhere else, maybe it was in the kitchen, who knew.

Ignoring the questions dancing in his mind and latching onto the kitchen hypothesis, he walked up the corridor towards the next car, Victor behind him. 

#

Lilia’s shoe hadn’t been there.

Yuuri had started to write everything he’d seen in each compartment down in his notebook, drawing a rudimentary map of the train, and labeling each compartment. Victor had waited in silence, observing and occasionally frowning when Yuuri wrote things in Japanese that he couldn’t read. It wasn’t that Yuuri wanted to keep him in the dark, not really, but he also didn’t want to agitate him any further. 

Victor looked visibly shaken already. He fidgeted a lot with the buttons of his uniform, and paled even more, if that was even possible, when Yakov intercepted them as they returned from the dining car to their compartments. 

"Well?" he asked, and he didn’t seem to have much patience.  
"We haven’t found her,” Victor answered with a sigh, and Yakov punched the door to his compartment.  
"Well, she has to be _somewhere_!"  
"She's not in the train, that's for sure. We've searched every compartment, those with and without passengers, and you just sent Yura to search the mail and cargo wagons, did he find her?” he asked, but Yakov didn’t answer. Victor sighed. “She's not here anymore."

Victor's voice was as full of sorrow as Yakov's eyes, but the older man didn't seem to notice. He grew more and more somber with every word, and when Victor finished, he turned around, hands curled into fists and shaking with anger.

"Hey, Yakov!" a voice called then, from behind the man. Yuuri looked around him to find Yuri Nikolayevich walking closer. He seemed at the end of his rope as well. "The passengers are starting to get anxious. Some of them have other trains to catch when they get to their destinies. We can't keep the train not running, we're accumulating too much delay!"  
"Shut up!" Yakov barked, startling the young conductor. Yuuri winced in his behalf. "I know that!"  
"The driver awaits instructions," Victor added, softly. "Should I go tell him to start the train again?"  
"... yes, fine."

No one waited to see if he would change his mind. Yuri Nikolayevich darted away in a heartbeat, retracing his own steps to reach, Yuuri assumed, the last compartment where the two drivers had been sleeping earlier. Yakov watched him as he went, and then turned back to Victor and Yuuri. He looked conflicted, and finally asked, in a much softer voice than Yuuri had been expecting:

"Have you boys found anything useful?"  
"Well..."  
"Nothing decisive so far," Yuuri answered instead of Victor, who had flinched visibly at being put on the spot. "But I haven't had the chance to think about what we've seen and try to figure out the big picture. I can assure you, however, that I see no reason to believe that Mrs. Feltsman has abandoned the train of her own volition."  
"What is that supposed to mean?" Yakov asked, suspicious, and Yuuri merely shrugged.  
"We just were in the kitchen, and Gosha said there were several things there that would have needed tending to before today's meals, and one of the passengers has stated that Mrs. Feltsman had agreed to cook something special for them today. Besides, another passenger said he spoke to her last night around midnight, and she assured him she was alright. Most importantly, before going away, she mentioned she'd see him at breakfast."  
"So?"  
"I find it odd that she would leave after clearly intending to be here in the morning, that's all."  
"Does this mean she's _really_ fallen off the train?"  
"I... It's a possibility. She might have lost her footing and fallen. Perhaps she went to get some air to the last car's door. I have seen many people do so before, dangerous as it is."  
"Why would she go there at three in the morning, is what I'd like to know," Yakov grumbled, and Yuuri shrugged again.  
"Perhaps she wanted to clear her thoughts. It's my understanding that last night, she was quite upset about something. One of the passengers was even concerned enough to ask if she felt alright."  
"Who was that?"  
"Leo de la Iglesia," answered Victor, touching a finger to his lips, thinking. "A young American, a doctor. Traveling with his nurse. The same passenger that she offered tea in the morning as gratitude for worrying about her."  
"Hmpf."

Yakov didn't seem to care much for the details, that was clear enough. He shifted his feet for a moment, and then sighed.

"I'm going to call the next station by radio and let them know what has happened before they send anyone to look for us. Victor, go back to your job. Katsuki," he added, addressing Yuuri, which startled him. He wasn't aware that Yakov knew his surname. "I appreciate what you're doing. I hope we haven't wasted much of your time with our internal problems."  
"Not at all!" he assured him quickly, taken by surprise once more, not expecting gratitude from him. "I'm happy to help. Please, if anything ever happened, I'm at your service. The crew has always treated me like a friend, it's the least I could do."  
"Like a friend, huh?" Yakov raised an eyebrow towards his son, with a small smirk. "I'm sure that's right."

The dry sarcasm seemed to relieve Victor, who simply chuckled, and watched as he went away. His shoulders slumped a little, tension leaving his body.

"Do you think he's going to be alright?" he asked Yuuri after a moment. Yuuri watched him critically, and then sighed.  
"Are you?"  
"Huh?" Victor was startled at the question, but Yuuri didn't budge.  
"Are you going to be alright? She _is_ your mother, Victor."  
"Yes, well... I'm trying not to think about it too much..." Victor waved a hand in the air vaguely, and then pushed away his fringe with a heavy sigh. "Yakov is already hard to handle like this, but if I... If I can't... I need to be there for him, you know? He's hurting so much, and I..." he seemed to be looking for words, but when he didn’t find them, he simply shrugged. He looked lost, and scared, and Yuuri’s chest ached for him.  
"Come here," he enthused, pulling on one of Victor's wrists towards his compartment.  
"I can't, I have to..."  
"It'll be just a moment."

Victor allowed Yuuri to push him to sit on one of the beds, and leaned into his shoulder when Yuuri sat beside him.

"I understand it's a delicate situation because of your jobs," Yuuri started, trying to choose his words carefully. "I've been trying to talk to you for a while, though. You look really pale, Victor."  
"I..."  
"How are you feeling?" he asked quietly, hoping he wasn't crossing a line. Victor didn't seem offended. He looked relieved to have been asked, and his expression was sincere as he answered.  
"I'm confused. I knew she was mad, and that they've been arguing a lot lately... But I always thought that... I don't know, I thought she'd eventually stay at home and stop traveling with us, but I never expected her to just leave us like this, you know? I thought she would at least say goodbye… I mean, like you said, she _is_ my mother. She’s always been there for me."

Yuuri didn't know what to say to that.

"And if she hasn't left, then what's going on? I can't really believe she's fallen off somehow, and..." Victor fell silent for a moment, before shuddering. He gripped Yuuri's arm tightly. "I don't want to think of the alternative."  
"Right."  
"But you've said she's probably not left on her own, so then what?!"  
"I wish I had an answer to that, Victor."  
"... Me too."  
"I might be able to parse something from what I've seen from the passengers, and I'll keep looking for any clues. I'll stay around until we find her, okay?"  
"Yuuri... Thank you, that means a lot to me, but what if she's really fallen off the train? You're headed home, and I can't keep you around just because..."  
"Don't be silly," Yuuri interrupted him, placing a hand over the one that was around his forearm. "Your mother has vanished, did you think I'd just leave? I know we're not... What I mean is, I'm not going to leave you like this, alright? If you're going to be here for Yakov, someone has to be here for you, that's all."  
"Yuuri..."  
"Don't overthink it. It's my job to figure out this kind of mysteries, and I'm more than happy to help you however I can. You know I am."  
"... Thank you." 

Victor breathed out, eyes watering slightly, and he looked aside for a moment. They fell into a comfortable silence, during which the train finally started moving again, and with that, Yuuri remembered something.

"Have you eaten today?"  
"I had something earlier," Victor answered distractedly, and Yuuri frowned. "I didn't have much time."  
"Stay for a bit? I'll go get you something quick."  
"I can't, I'm working," Victor insisted. "I'll eat something later though, don't worry about me."  
"Have lunch with me?" Yuuri asked, and Victor smiled a little.  
"Yes, of course. I'll see you then."  
"I'll do my best to find more clues until then," Yuuri promised.

Victor didn't answer then, but he squeezed Yuuri's hand for a moment before standing up. He looked conflicted, and when he tugged on his fingers, almost as if unaware of himself, Yuuri knew what he was thinking. Silently, he pulled Victor in for a hug, and the conductor immediately buried his head on Yuuri’s neck. He was warm, and Yuuri threaded his fingers slightly in his hair, hoping to be comforting. Victor shivered, but didn’t pull apart.

"Really, thanks. I... thanks."

Yuuri simply smiled. He knew there were words left unsaid, but he couldn't push Victor to tell him anything, not when he wasn't ready. He'd been hoping to catch him alone for a moment, in case Victor needed someone to hear him out, but he didn't seem to know what to say just yet. He seemed to be scared, but he was doing his best to hide it, and Yuuri didn't want to push him about his feelings. It couldn't be easy...

His mother had just vanished. Of course he'd be scared.

He might not want to talk about it, or even think about it, but he wanted answers just as much as Yakov did. It was only natural. And it was Yuuri's job to figure out that.

Victor pulled away reluctantly after a few moments, and his fingers still lingered on Yuuri’s waist for a second, as it trying to keep him close, but not daring to. When he finally let go, his eyes were slightly red, but he looked less pale, and he smiled at Yuuri before going out of the compartment. 

Finding himself alone, Yuuri returned to his notebook and began to read through it. 

He had much to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guysssss it's nanowrimo and I'm so excited to be writing the second act of this story!! If everything goes right I will have the second third of the story finished this month, fingers crossed!!!!!! -scream emoji-
> 
> #
> 
> Thanks for reading! I hope you've enjoyed my story :D
> 
> If you did, please consider leaving kudos or a comment, they're greatly appreciated! If you want to yell with me and share more headcanons for these two dorks, you can find me at my tumblr, [kyokotsukuyomi](http://kyokotsukuyomi.tumblr.com/), the comments section down below, or any of the links in my profile. The lovely artist who did the art for this fic is Dyeingdoll, you can find her on her [tumblr](https://dyeingdoll.tumblr.com/)! Don't be shy!
> 
> Love,
> 
> ~Lena
> 
> P.S.: the art will be embedded on the chapter where the scene happens, no worries ;)


	10. Chapter 9: Finding solace.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Have lunch," Yuuri insisted, and his eyes were warmer this time. "I mean it. I will find you if I need your help."  
> "Aren't you eating as well?"  
> "Ah, chéri, I think our Yuuri has... shall we say... a date."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys! First of all I want to apologize for being so late. I've been sick since last Thursday and my productivity has been pretty much dead ^^;; I hope to get back on a regular schedule for the next few chapters, though!
> 
> And second, I want to mention this just in case: I'm currently writing the second and third acts of this story. They're fully planned, and I'm about a third into the second act, I'd say. I have full intentions of finishing this story, but I will most definitely need to take some time to finish and polish the first draft, which means there will be a short hiatus between the last chapter of this act and the first of the next. 
> 
> My original idea was to have the first draft finished by December, and start posting around Christmas time, or New Years. Now that we're getting closer to that, I must admit my academic obligations won't let me keep that schedule, so I will try my best to bring the second act somewhere around January. To ensure that you find it when I start posting, I recommend subscribing to the full series! I will nevertheless add a reminder on the last chapter, of course <3
> 
> All of this said, I leave you with the next chapter, I hope you guys enjoy it!!
> 
> #
> 
> Music I have personally listened to while writing this fic:  
>  **Personal rec for this chapter!:** Trans-Siberian railway on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/user/1231244904/playlist/1okqSG4DDS3pRJsYCZRI3S?si=ySjwpso7Rw-sqUVGvaLNgA)  
> Mystery music on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/user/bezoing/playlist/28ICiQDK37yaahRZD7aX3J?si=y5-F9syiQbSpkZfSP3N88w)  
> The Vanishing of Ethan Carter Soundtrack on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/album/1URAPPYkkYGElm3JVwgRfs?si=0sMpDEwuQWCSlnljT0AMaQ)  
>  **Personal rec for this chapter!:** 10 hours of train sounds on [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGpsKIDd4kg)

#  **Chapter 9: Finding solace.**

Victor found Yuuri later, already in the dining car, sitting next to Chris and Phichit and twirling a pencil between his fingers while staring at his notebook. Chris seemed to be just listening to Phichit, and Yuuri seemed to be ignoring them both, but when he got closer he realized Phichit was simply stating facts about something, numbering them with his fingers. They all looked rather serious, but the conversation stopped when they spotted him. Yuuri looked up to see what had happened, and smiled tiredly at him.

 

"Hi, Victor."

"Victor, huh?" Chris smirked, and Victor rolled his eyes. It wasn't the first time they met, and the Swiss had known about his crush on Yuuri for a while. He wondered if the other two knew about that. "First name basis already?"

"I may have never found a good moment to say this, Yuuri, but you can call me Vitya if you'd like. See, as a matter of fact, Yuuri and I have known each other for a while now, Chris. Much as you and I."

"You knew Chris? He mentioned something earlier, but…” Yuuri asked, cheeks slightly red. Victor smiled.

"Yes. He once made a photography collection about trains. Of course he'd take one of the Rossiya, it's the most important train of the country, and the longest railway of the world." Victor was proud to work here. He felt lucky every day for the chance he'd gotten as a kid. Yuuri seemed to pick up on that, and he looked proud of Victor. It was almost a little embarrassing.

"And if I remember correctly I took a candid shot of you, back when you had long hair. I'll need to make sure that picture makes its way to our friend Yuuri here."

"You used to have long hair?!" Yuuri inquired, eyebrows shooting into his hairline and face redder by the moment. Victor chuckled, shrugging.

"Yes. I used to. It got a bit too much to manage eventually, and some passengers didn't like it, so I cut it."

"Shame. He looked great with long hair. He used to get almost as many girls as me, fawning over him through the train journeys. Not that he ever really cared for them."

"Chris, stop it! That's not true."

"Oh? So you did care for them? You rascal, and I never knew?"

 

Yuuri was laughing, which was probably good, Victor thought. He and Yuuri had never really talked much about their personal preferences, aside from being really into each other, and this didn't seem like the best time for it. Thankfully, Chris knew him enough to notice when he was about to step over his boundaries. He pointed to an empty chair in their table, and Victor bit his lip. He sat down, hesitant.

 

"I'm technically still on my shift… I only have a small break for lunch."

"If anyone asks, we've asked you here to complain about the train stopping," Chris assured him very seriously. Victor winced.

"Thanks, that will save me trouble," he grumbled. Chris patted his shoulder, but immediately became serious again.

"What has really happened, though?" he asked, frowning. "Has your mother really...?"

"Disappeared. Yes. We're still not sure what has happened."

"Yuuri wasn't spilling the beans, said it wasn't his place to tell us," Chris added, rolling his eyes, and Victor smiled.

"I appreciate that. Did you even tell him you knew me?"

"I did! He said he still wasn’t sure you’d agree, though. I thought you would have told him you knew me as well, anyway! What kind of friend are you, Vitya?"

"Sorry, sorry," Victor laughed. "I haven't had the time. I would have mentioned it eventually, but today has been a mess."

"You could even say today has been a... trainwreck," Phichit piped in, voice completely deadpan, and not even looking up from the coins he was stacking up on the table. Chris burst out laughing, while Yuuri groaned.

" _You're_ a trainwreck," he muttered under his breath, throwing a balled up paper napkin at his friend. "Don't even joke about that."

"Come on, Yuuri, don't tell me a terrible pun is enough to _derail_ you from your job?"

 

That was enough for Yuuri to close his notebook with an exasperated sigh, one that still managed to be somewhat affectionate.

 

"You're impossible. I'm not discussing anything with you two, because I'm still not clear on some details, not because I particularly want to leave you two out of the loop. All the evidence I have found is very circumstantial, and I wouldn't want to point any fingers just yet.” 

"We know, we know..."

"But you _have_ found something, then?" Victor asked. Yuuri considered his words for a moment.

"Well, as I said before, I still don't think she's gotten off the train on her own. Either she had a very good, pressing reason to do it, or something else has happened."

"Something else?" frowned Victor.

"Something like?" asked Phichit at the same time. Chris, who remained silent, seemed to have understood the unsaid words, and simply looked at Yuuri with a grave expression.

"But no other passenger is missing," he stated after it became apparent that Yuuri didn't know how to continue. "If someone else has pushed her off or something, that means..."

"Yes. That would mean that person is still in the train. I don't want anyone to think this, the rest of the passengers are already agitated enough," Yuuri pleaded. "Let's keep things quiet for now, okay?"

"Do you think it's possible to survive falling off a moving train?" Victor asked, voice strained, and Yuuri sighed.

"It's not impossible. Depends on how she falls, and when... If they've pushed her when the train was just starting to move, after the last stop... or in the middle of nowhere while going faster. Or if they've somehow made her step off with a threat, and she's hiding somewhere in our last stop. There are still many details I haven't worked out, and I don't want anyone else to know I'm on the case for that precise reason."

"They might have worked it out on their own, Yuuri. You've been helping the search… It’s pretty obvious," Phichit said.

"If they have, that's fine, but they don't need to know what I think about this just yet. Think about it. If the culprit is still here, and they think we don't know they exist... They might give me more clues. If they know we're onto them, though, they might do something drastic."

Yuuri looked at the other three in turns. Phichit and Chris looked serious, and exchanged furtive glances at each other. Victor simply looked at the passengers. 

Everyone was eating, and talking to each other. The room was lively, and the spirits seemed somewhat lifted now that the train was moving again. The smells from their foods, and the warmth from the kitchen, it all blended together to create a very cozy feeling. Yuuri wondered if Victor would be appreciating this, or trying to guess which passenger had hurt this mother.

"Something drastic like what?" Victor asked after a while, still looking at the people eating around them.

"Do you think Lilia is still in the train?" added Chris.

"No, I don't think so. But if she's..." Yuuri hesitated, but then shook his head a little. "If she's alive, and they know where she is... What if they've forced her to go away? What if she's been ambushed? We really don't know. It's best to be cautious, at least for now."

"Sounds fair," mused Phichit. "But then, what do we do?"

" _You_ should have lunch. I'll keep trying to find clues. I might talk to some of the passengers if I manage to find them alone later, after lunch."

"Hey, I want to help!"

"The fewer of us they know about, the better. Keep an eye out for suspicious people if you want, but don't tell anyone about what we think. Not for now, at least. It might come to a point where we have to explain it, and I'd like to see the reactions on my own."

"I can be subtle," Phichit grumbled, and Yuuri rolled his eyes, getting impatient.

"This is not about you, Phichit. I'm not going to put Mrs. Feltsman in danger just because you wanted to help."

"Harsh," the reporter laughed, but seemed to agree. "Fine, fine. Let me know if you want me to do anything, though."

"Have lunch," Yuuri insisted, and his eyes were warmer this time. "I mean it. I will find you if I need your help."

"Aren't you eating as well?"

"Ah, chéri, I think our Yuuri has... shall we say... a date," Chris interjected, with a cheeky wink towards him and Victor. 

Yuuri rolled his eyes, gathering his things together and standing up. He thought his words over for a second, before deciding to just go for it.

"Well," he challenged. “And if I did?”

"Wait, you do?" Phichit's eyes widened. "And you didn't tell me? I want all the details later."

"You're so lucky I like you," Yuuri shook his head. "Why am I friends with you again?"

"Because I'm irresistible. The only reason you aren't begging at my feet is because someone else already had your heart before we met."

"Grand words for someone who's been beside himself for the perfect guy he's sharing a room with."

"Hey!"

"You sure you weren't the one begging at his feet?" Yuuri added, sending Chris into a fit of giggles, and making Phichit turn bright red.

"Why am I friends with you again?" he asked between gritted teeth.

"Because I'm irresistible, clearly," Yuuri answered, sarcasm dry and heavy, and making Phichit chuckle.

"Have fun with your date, Yuuri," he said, shaking his head in exasperation.

"Have fun with your... roommate," Yuuri replied, arching a teasing eyebrow.

He still waved briefly at Chris before turning around and walking away, motioning for Victor to come with him.

He didn’t go too far away, he didn’t think he’d need to. They sat down a few tables away, and Victor was quick to dismiss Georgi’s attempt to get their orders, mouthing his intention to do that himself. Georgi seemed to understand, and he went back to the table he was clearing.

"So, is this a date?" Victor teased, and Yuuri laughed. As he tucked a strand of hair behind his ear, Victor could see that the tips had turned a little red.

"Well, it isn't _not_ a date, I suppose? Usually dates don't include talking about clues about your mother's disappearance, I hear, but I could be wrong. I don't have much time for dates."

"Well. Neither do I," Victor admitted. "So we can call it a date, if you'd like..."

"Sure," Yuuri whispered, with a soft laugh. "We can call it whatever you like. But I thought you'd like to know more about what I've found so far."

"And you'd be correct," Victor agreed with complicity in his voice. "Yuuri, really, thank you so much for..."

"It's _the least_ I could do, Victor." Yuuri smiled. "I know we're... I know it's complicated between us. But I..." he lowered his eyes, blushing, and took a shaky breath before continuing. "I do care about you, you know. I want you to be happy, even if it's not with me. Of course I'll help you with this. It's your family, and like I said before, everyone here has always treated me nicely, not just you."

"Yuuri..."

 

Victor didn't do anything rash like pulling Yuuri in for a kiss, but Yuuri could see the thought cross through his features, making him blush even harder. He placed a hand over Victor's, on the table.

 

"Should I tell you what I've pieced together so far?" he asked softly.

"I... yes. Yes, please."

"Alright. It's nothing groundbreaking, mind you. It's worth noting that I haven't managed to completely clear anyone out, except for the driver at that time… Mr. Vedeneyev, I believe is the name. I also haven't managed to find a clear culprit either, however."

"Who is the most suspicious one?"

"Well... If I didn't know better, I'd say Yakov. He was the last one to see her, _and_ they've been arguing lately, giving him a motive."

"But…?" Victor added, hopeful.

"Well… to be frank, I still consider him a suspect, Victor. I can't be biased, especially not with such an important investigation. I know how much they both mean to you, but I think highly enough of you to want to give you the truth, and only the truth."

"I really appreciate that," Victor breathed, shoulders slumping a little. "I know Yakov has been worried about that, too. That you would try to sugarcoat things for us."

"I wouldn't do that," Yuuri assured him. "But still, it _is_ hard to believe that Yakov would do anything to her."

"I know I can't make you believe it, but for what is worth, I know for a fact that Yakov loves her with everything he has. He would do anything for her."

"I don't doubt it," Yuuri murmured. "But you do see where I'm coming from, right? Even in the best of relationships, and especially if it's been strained for a while, people can snap and do things that others would consider completely out of character for them. God knows I've seen it more times than I'd like."

For a moment, Victor didn’t answer. He looked down to his hands, fingers crossed between them, and he fiddled with his thumbs. The table rattled softly along with the train as they moved forward, and Yuuri started fearing he’d said more than he should, when Victor looked up again.

"I understand," Victor sighed. "I do. Anyway, what about the rest of the passengers?"

"Well, there's you,” Yuuri started, apologetically. “And Plisetsky. If I had to say, you're the next two people I'd keep in mind. You're her son, and Plisetsky has a temper. Both of you have access to anything in the train without it looking odd, considering your jobs. She trusts you. But I highly doubt you would do that and then suggest I take the case, and Plisetsky's small frame doesn't work well with the theory of someone pushing her off the train."

"He's stronger than he looks, but he wouldn't have done it. Plus, he hasn't gone out of the compartment at all during the night. I went in around 11pm, and he was already there, sleeping. It was him, too, I had the lights on. I sleep light, and he would have woken me up if he left. Wouldn't be the first time."

"I see."

"Does that count as an alibi? I know it's just my word, but..." 

For a moment, Victor looked panicked, perhaps thinking that now Yuuri would consider Plisetsky more suspicious than before. He was quick to dispel those thoughts, shaking his head.

"It does. I'm not taking alibis just yet, but it does. It would cast doubt upon you if it was found to be a lie, though."

"It's the truth, so I'm not worried about that,” Victor assured him, smiling with relief. “Alright. What next?"

"Well, the Leroys look strangely tense lately, and I can't say I know why. Like I said before, they immediately tried to hide their passports when we entered, and I didn't want to put them on alert by asking to see them, but..."

"That's suspicious alright."

"Indeed. Other passengers to keep in mind are the Crispino siblings and their friend... Mr. Nekola. They’re feisty, though I wouldn't say malicious."

"Could they have pushed her off accidentally?"

"It's a possibility. They might not know anything, but they've been causing a bit of a ruckus lately, yes? They're definitely louder than the rest of passengers."

"That happens a lot with westerners though," Victor reasoned, and Yuuri nodded.

"I guess you're right. In any case, they're three. If they needed help, or someone to fake an alibi, they'd have it."

"Same with the Leroys, they have each other."

"And the same goes for the doctor and the nurse, Mr. de la Iglesia and Mr. Ji."

"Do you think a doctor would...?" Victor looked put off at the thought, and Yuuri shrugged with a grimace.

"Sadly, it won't be the first time I hear of a doctor breaking their oath. Though I wouldn’t mind if it was the last."

"I see... So everyone _could_ potentially have done it..."

"Now that we've come to this point,” Yuuri started, skimming over his own notes, trying to make sense of things. “I wanted to ask for permission to search the cargo and mail wagons. I'd particularly like to know if there's anything missing there."

"Missing?"

"In order to know exactly what has happened, in light of Lilia's absence, we might discover something from finding the missing pieces around us."

"I'll go get Otabek and Yura. They were the ones who searched those wagons today. Otabek has a night shift, so he can go with you later."

"He does? But he's been..."

"He's been awake most of the morning, yes. We needed everyone to search. He should be sleeping now, however."

"Let him sleep. I can go with Plisetsky if he doesn't mind."

"I'll find him for you after lunch, then," Victor agreed.

"Thank you. Are you finished with your shift, though? I thought you said..."

"Yes, I only have a few minutes for a lunch break," Victor smiled, checking the watch in the wall. "It should be alright for me to have lunch now, though, if you're free."

"That'd be lovely."

No sooner had Yuuri finished speaking than Victor stood up, placing a hand on his shoulder affectionately.

"I'll go get our order. What would you like?" he asked.

"Anything easy for our new cook, I don't want to cause any unnecessary trouble."

"Oh, Yuuri," Victor laughed. "I appreciate the concern, but Georgi doesn't mind cooking. I dare say he enjoys it, even."

"I see," he smiled. "There's no need, though, something simple will do. I'll have something more elaborate when I solve this case."

"Your wish is my command."

 

Victor bowed slightly, with a twinkle of mischief in his eye, and Yuuri watched him go, feeling his cheeks redden.

 

He shouldn't encourage Victor's advances, he really shouldn't, but when it helped put a smile in his face even in these circumstances, who was Yuuri to deny him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you've enjoyed my story :D
> 
> If you did, please consider leaving kudos or a comment, they're greatly appreciated! If you want to yell with me and share more headcanons for these two dorks, you can find me at my tumblr, [kyokotsukuyomi](http://kyokotsukuyomi.tumblr.com/), the comments section down below, or any of the links in my profile. The lovely artist who did the art for this fic is Dyeingdoll, you can find her on her [tumblr](https://dyeingdoll.tumblr.com/)! Don't be shy!
> 
> Love,
> 
> ~Lena
> 
> P.S.: the art will be embedded on the chapter where the scene happens, no worries ;)


	11. Chapter 10: I’m not mad, just disappointed.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I can only guess what he’s telling you about us so you finally decide to whisk him away on adventures with you to lalaland. Whatever it is, I hope for your sake you don’t buy it. Victor is a selfish man, and I highly doubt he has your best interest in mind when he tells you he likes you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music I have personally listened to while writing this fic:  
> Trans-Siberian railway on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/user/1231244904/playlist/1okqSG4DDS3pRJsYCZRI3S?si=ySjwpso7Rw-sqUVGvaLNgA)  
> Mystery music on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/user/bezoing/playlist/28ICiQDK37yaahRZD7aX3J?si=y5-F9syiQbSpkZfSP3N88w)  
> The Vanishing of Ethan Carter Soundtrack on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/album/1URAPPYkkYGElm3JVwgRfs?si=0sMpDEwuQWCSlnljT0AMaQ)  
>  **Personal rec for this chapter:** 10 hours of train sounds on [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGpsKIDd4kg)

****

#  **Chapter 10: I’m not mad, just disappointed.**

Plisetsky wasn't pleased to see Yuuri, that much was clear, but he wasn't confrontational. Something bothered him about Yuuri, but whatever it was, it didn't seem to be his simple presence.

He led him through the train, dismissing Victor's attempt to come with them, and Yuuri barely had time to give him an apologetic smile before Plisetsky started to walk away. Everyone seemed to be in their rooms, as they didn’t cross paths with any passenger on their way, only Mila still on her shift in the second wagon.

 

The trains usually had several wagons, but this particular one only had two for passengers, and three for cargo and mail. That reduced the number of possible suspects by a lot, making things easier, in a sense, but it also made it harder to keep a secret in the train. If Yuuri wasn't careful, his suspicions might be misinterpreted.

 

Despite what he’d said to Victor, and despite the circumstances making him a great suspect, Plisetsky wasn't the person he suspected the most. He had a temper, yes, but he was mostly a child. He'd heard from Victor that he wasn't even of age, barely sixteen to be precise. He was the grandson of the train's driver, and his parents weren't in the picture anymore, which was how he'd ended up working here form such a young age. In a sense, Victor had once said, Plisetsky and he were very similar. Neither had many memories of their biological parents, and both had been taken in by someone who already worked in the train, thus making them part of the crew as soon as they were old enough to work.

 

Someone who depended so strongly of his position as a conductor wouldn't have risked it like this, knowing they'd be suspected. No matter how Yuuri looked at it, out of the conductors the most suspicious was Yakov. Either it had been him, or someone was trying to frame him. Whatever it was, Plisetsky had nothing to win from doing that, not that Yuuri could see.

 

There was, of course, the possibility that it had been a passenger, but then, none of them really had a motive… That Yuuri knew of, for now.

Yuuri sighed, observing the young man walking in front of him. There was much he didn’t know about Plisetsky, not the least of it why he disliked Yuuri so strongly, but it still didn’t give off the impression of being a criminal. Yuuri had met several criminals who didn’t look the part, for sure, but never one so young.

 

It still didn't feel like an accident to him. It _could_ have been, but the lack of witnesses, the fact that no one had heard her scream, or heard the train doors open after 3 am, it all pointed against it. Nothing had been found on the compartments, neither on the cargo or mail wagons. Clearly, if someone had pushed her off, they had pushed off the evidence with her.

 

Plisetsky opened the door to the first cargo wagon with a sigh. He didn't say anything when Yuuri looked at him, however, he simply pointed ahead.

 

"You won't find anything. Otabek and I already looked around earlier. Twice."

"That's fine," Yuuri answered, softly, entering the wagon. "I'll just take a quick look, then."

 

It was easy to notice the annoyance in the boy's face, but Yuuri wasn't intimidated by it.

 

The place was poorly lit, clearly not suit for passengers. Despite the fact that some light came in from the window in the door, Plisetsky still had to lead him around with a flashlight. Nothing seemed out of place, most of the boxes were tightly packed. Yuuri tried to pull one out and he was surprised to find it was quite heavy. Plisetsky stopped him with a steady hand, stabilizing the box Yuuri had nearly pushed to the floor.

 

"Do you need to look inside?" he asked. Yuuri shook his head apologetically.

"I'm just checking to see how heavy they are. If someone had hidden something in them, they would have needed to take them out and put them back in place. I don't think every passenger could do it, it would give them an alibi if we _were_ to find something here."

 

Plisetsky took the explanation in stride, merely nodding as he spoke. Then he walked ahead. Silent treatment, huh? Yuuri could live with that. At least he couldn't say it was out of character for the young conductor, who never really spoke to him unless he had to.

“Would you say there are any boxes out of place? Somewhere else than where you put them when they were loaded onto the train?” he asked as he counted the boxes in the wagon.

“No, not really,” the conductor tilted his head to the side, eyeing the boxes as well. “But I can’t say I really paid much attention to the layout, and it isn’t impossible for the boxes to have moved slightly while the train moves. The vibration sometimes can cause them to fall if we’re not careful.”

He pointed to the boxes vaguely, and Yuuri waited, but he didn’t explain. After a moment, he gave in.

“What do you mean by ‘careful’?” he asked, and he thought he saw the kid smile briefly, triumphant. It would be almost cute, if it hadn’t been making Yuuri’s investigation take longer.

“Sometimes, when the boxes are too light, they can roll around. We have to tie them together. That’s why the walls have hooks for the ropes to tie to, and you’ll see some boxes tied to each other,” Plisetsky explained, somewhat smugly, and pointed to a tall pile of them. “If they’re stacked up high we also have to secure them.”

“I see. What if they’re heavy?” asked Yuuri.

“If they’re heavy and big enough, they are safe on their own,” he pointed to some other boxes, ones that were big enough to be called crates.

“Wouldn’t it be safer to just tie all boxes?”

“It probably would,” Plisetsky shrugged. “But we don’t always have enough time to do so when we load the cargo, and more often than not we’ll leave the heavier ones like that one untied. Plus, most of the time they have other boxes on top of them, so it’s all pretty packed.”

“I see. So, would it be possible to move boxes around, given one has enough strength?”

“Well, it depends on the box,” Plisetsky admitted, and walked over to the biggest one, trying to push it. It scraped against the floor with a shrill sound, but it barely moved. “I think for the bigger ones, you’d need help from someone else,” he concluded, with a pointed look at Yuuri. 

He walked closer and tried to push as well, and then asked for help to try with two people. This time it moved a little more, but it would definitely take longer to move it enough to block the path or access the boxes behind it, which remained safely secured against the wall.

He continued to look around the place, taking note of the small cabinet near the door, and the fact that the doors screeched audibly when opened. The bigger boxes were definitely unmovable without help, but the smaller ones were easy enough to untie and open, if one so desired. 

After a while, Yuuri asked to be shown the next wagon, which turned out to be exactly the same, and then the final wagon. This one had a different layout, as it was furnished with filing cabinets. They were made out of metal, and each drawer was locked with a key. When Yuuri inquired about it, Plisetsky simply said it was full of mail, and that there were multiple keys, but only one of them was in the train. The chief conductor, Yakov, had one, but the workers in the stations also had keys in case they were needed, or Yakov’s key was lost. This piqued Yuuri’s curiosity.

“What about the cabinets by the door? The other wagons also had them, are those keys the same?” Yuuri asked, and Plisetsky shook his head, fishing a small keychain from one of his pockets.

“No, those are cabinets with the receipts of the cargo and the mail packages, but they also contain extra batteries for the flashlights, extra uniforms, repair tools… This and that, useful stuff. The passenger wagons also have them, they’re on the wall in front of the heaters.” 

“Is that safe?” Yuuri frowned, and Plisetsky shrugged again.

“I don’t decide the layout of the train, Katsuki, that’s just how things are. The heaters are usually safe, and they’re always behind metal walls, so in the rare occurrence of having a fire, it’s easy enough to put out.”

“I see. Mrs. Feltsman disappearance likely doesn’t have to do with the heaters, in any case…” Yuuri was quick to backtrack. It wasn’t his place to question how things worked in the train.

Considering the difficulty of moving or opening the boxes, and the locks in the cabinets of the mail wagon, there wasn’t much else he needed to check, which amounted to an almost unprecedented lack of clues. Yuuri himself, who had seen lots of cryptic scenes, was disappointed to not find anything. As they turned back, he couldn't help but feel that something was escaping him.

“What did you see, then?” Plisetsky asked when they were back in the second passenger wagon. 

Mila looked at them from her seat on the opposite side of the wagon, smiling friendly. Yuuri took a second to wave before turning to look at Plisetsky.

“Not much,” Yuuri admitted, gauging the teen’s expression as he spoke. “Like you said, she wasn’t there, and there weren’t many clues. It doesn’t look like anyone has been snooping around, opening boxes or trying to hide anything. It doesn’t seem possible, either, for a single person to do much in the cargo wagons, and only the conductors have the key to the smaller cabinets near the doors. It’s all in the details, though, I never know when it will be important information to have, you know?”

“Details,” he mumbled, as though exceptic. Then he shook his head. “Well, it’s whatever. I didn’t do it. I don’t know what Victor might have told you, but it definitely wasn’t me.”

“I didn’t say it was you, and neither did Victor,” Yuuri frowned. “He was, in fact, very vehement that it couldn’t be you, so why would you say that?”

“I don’t know,” he scoffed, crossing his arms defensively over his chest. “I can only guess what he’s telling you about us so you finally decide to whisk him away on adventures with you to lalaland. Whatever it is, I hope for your sake you don’t buy it. Victor is a selfish man, and I highly doubt he has your best interest in mind when he tells you he likes you.”

The mention of Victor liking him still made Yuuri’s cheeks burn, but he tried not to show his puzzlement. Victor had never given him the impression of being a selfish person, and he could only wonder what history was between Plisetsky and him to make the boy say that.

“It’s a good thing, then,” he murmured, trying to keep his indignation out of his voice, “that Victor isn’t trying to convince me to take him away to lalaland. Don’t you think, Yuri Nikolayevich?”

“If that’s what you think, then you’re not as observant as they say, Mr. Detective… A pity,” were Plisetsky’s final words to him.

It was strangely comforting, amidst the confusion, to know that perhaps the kid wasn’t mad at Yuuri after all. As he watched him go away and exchange some words with Mila before slipping into Otabek and Georgi’s compartment, Yuuri couldn’t help but think that if Plisetsky was disappointed in his competence as a detective, that meant he had once harbored admiration for him. 

For some reason, this information clicked in a fascinatingly perfect way in the complex personality of Yuri Plisetsky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys!!!!! Only one more chapter to finish the first act!!!!! [scream emoji x10]  
> I'm super excited, and I'm also super nervous and !!!!!!  
> I can't wait for y'all to read the next chapter omg <3
> 
> also: you're gonna have to forgive me, I love the word 'lalaland' too much to not use it.
> 
> #
> 
> Thanks for reading! I hope you've enjoyed my story :D
> 
> If you did, please consider leaving kudos or a comment, they're greatly appreciated! If you want to yell with me and share more headcanons for these two dorks, you can find me at my tumblr, [kyokotsukuyomi](http://kyokotsukuyomi.tumblr.com/), the comments section down below, or any of the links in my profile. The lovely artist who did the art for this fic is Dyeingdoll, you can find her on her [tumblr](https://dyeingdoll.tumblr.com/)! Don't be shy!
> 
> Love,
> 
> ~Lena
> 
> P.S.: the art will be embedded on the chapter where the scene happens, no worries ;)


	12. Chapter 11: First blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When he took his hand again, his fingers were cold, and trembling. Yuuri’s were too, though he supposed it was more thanks to the adrenaline rush than fear. This kind of scene wasn’t unfamiliar to him, but he had never expected to find a dead body in this train, with Victor by his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music I have personally listened to while writing this fic:  
> Trans-Siberian railway on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/user/1231244904/playlist/1okqSG4DDS3pRJsYCZRI3S?si=ySjwpso7Rw-sqUVGvaLNgA)  
>  **Personal rec for this chapter!: Mystery music on[Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/user/bezoing/playlist/28ICiQDK37yaahRZD7aX3J?si=y5-F9syiQbSpkZfSP3N88w)  
> **  
>  **Personal rec for this chapter!:** The Vanishing of Ethan Carter Soundtrack on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/album/1URAPPYkkYGElm3JVwgRfs?si=0sMpDEwuQWCSlnljT0AMaQ)  
>  10 hours of train sounds on [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGpsKIDd4kg)

The art that was made as a companion to this fic is from this final chapter! A thousand thanks to [Dyeingdoll](https://dyeingdoll.tumblr.com/)!!

#  **Chapter 11: First blood.**

Yuuri didn't sleep well that night. He tossed and turned, running scenarios and options through his mind. No matter how he looked at it, everyone was a possible culprit and with almost no clues as to what had happened to Lilia, there was no way to figure out a clear solution to the case. There might not even _be_ a culprit! He still thought there should be one, but, what if he was wrong? What if he was leading everyone into a dead end?

 

He wasn't alone, at least, he knew as much. Above the never fading noise of the engine and the train moving, Yuuri could hear Victor turning in his bed as well, every now and then. He turned his back to the noises, trying to imagine Victor next to him, trying to ignore the wall between them. It made him yearn more than ever to be able to really _be_ with Victor, yes, but it at least made his own doubts more manageable. The warmth in the compartment, and the soft, plush blankets around him, made it easier to allow himself to imagine Victor’s arms around him, keeping him grounded.

 

When he finally got his racing thoughts somewhat under control, lulled by the train sounds and motion, he fell into an uneasy slumber from which he woke from frequently and without apparent reason.

 

It had to be around three in the morning by the time he got some decent sleep. When he woke up next, perhaps around five, the sky was still dark, but this time it was different. Something had woken him up, and he could have sworn he'd heard something. A strangled cry, or maybe just the train screeching more than usual. It sounded far away, whatever it was, so it took him a second. As soon as his brain registered it, however, it put him on edge again.

 

He jumped from his bed, putting on shoes in the dark, not daring turn the light on just in case someone was around and could notice him. In his hurry, he barely tied the shoelaces, shoving the ends into the sides of the shoe. He opened the door as quietly as he could as well, but when he did, he found himself face to face with someone who yelped in surprise, making his heart skip a beat.

"Victor?" Yuuri hissed, annoyed to have been so easily startled. The man turned to look at him.

"Yuuri? Did you hear that too?"

"I had just fallen asleep," Yuuri complained, but closed his compartment from the outside nonetheless, squaring his shoulders. "It came from the back of the train, didn't it? Should we go look?"

"What _was_ that noise?" Victor wondered, fumbling with something in his hands. After a second, a beam of light bathed the corridor, scattering around before Victor pointed it forward properly. Yuuri realized it was a flashlight. He shrugged, covering his eyes slightly until he got used to it.

"I can't be sure,” he answered. Victor turned around to look at him.

"Yuuri, if..." he sounded nervous, and Yuuri interrupted him.

"If you're going to tell me to stay back because it might be dangerous, I'd like to ask you to reconsider. Remember what my job is. I'm not just any civilian, I can take care of myself," Yuuri reminded him. Victor hesitated, but then nodded.

"Alright. I guess you might as well come with me, just in case we do find something… You’ll probably know what to do better than me…" he winced, and Yuuri rolled his eyes, bumping into him slightly. Victor simply smiled, but Yuuri didn’t dwell on the comment, instead looking around the empty corridor

"Do you think it woke up anyone else?"

"Yura is definitely asleep. You can hear Yakov snoring in his cabin as well. I don't know about the rest, though. Otabek might know something, he should be up."

"Where is he?"

"Well, he should be at the front end of this wagon, but since he isn't, I can only assume he went to check out what the noise was," Victor answered, pointing the light towards the other side of the corridor.

"Or he made the noise," Yuuri added. Victor looked worried, and he winced at the words, as if he'd been hoping to ignore the possibility.

"Say," he started, as he walked ahead with the flashlight. "Am I the only one who thought it was a scream?"

"I... don't know. I've been waking up a lot tonight, so I wasn't fully aware. It might have been, or I might have dreamt it," Yuuri replied, biting on his bottom lip distractedly, trying to remember.

"I think it sounded like a voice," Victor reaffirmed, frowning. "I hope I'm wrong, though."

"I hope it wasn't Otabek, if it _was_ a voice," Yuuri added. Victor merely nodded.

 

The far end of the wagon was cold, and the outside air seeped steadily inside, not quite bringing in the snow, but definitely the cold. The door to the next wagon wasn't closed, Yuuri noted, as they pushed it to step into the space between wagons. As they did, they found Otabek there. Yuuri breathed out in relief, and Victor ran up to him immediately. Otabek turned around when he heard them, and Victor grabbed him by the forearms.

 

"Otabek," he breathed, relief dripping from his voice. "I'm so glad to see you're alright."

"Victor," the man replied, surprised. "Did you hear that too? Oh, and Mr. Katsuki..."

"Just Yuuri, please," he insisted, for what felt like the umpteenth time. He and Otabek had met many times before. It was like this every time they saw each other again after a while, though, and the detective was pretty sure it was because of Plisetsky's first name being the same. He and Otabek were close friends, after all… 

"Yuuri," Otabek conceded. "Did you wake up from that noise?"

"I did," he confirmed. "Was it really a voice?"

"I'm pretty sure it was. A voice, and a really loud 'thud' noise right after. I just left my post, I was going to investigate as well."

"I think it's best if you stay back there," Victor told him. “In case the passengers need anything. Wake up Yura if you need him. Yuuri and I will go take a look."

"Are you sure? It is my shift, after all..."

"I think he's right," added Yuuri in a whisper, starting to feel the bite of the cold wind through his more than inadequate pijama clothes. He crossed his arms around himself as he spoke. "If anyone else wakes up scared..."

"You're good at keeping people calm,” Victor nodded as well. “We need everyone to stay in their rooms. We still don't know what's happened to Lilia, after all, and if whoever has just screamed has anything to do with her..."

"I understand," Otabek’s voice was quiet, and ominous. He seemed even more serious than usual. His brow furrowed, and he squeezed Victor's arms in return. "Be careful, Victor, Yuuri."

"We will."

 

Yuuri nodded as well, offering a hint of a smile to Otabek before following Victor towards the other end of the train. As they crossed to the next wagon, thankful to be inside once more, they found Mila there. She yelped when she heard them enter.

"Vitya!" she fumbled with her own flashlight, the light scattering eerily around the doors until she had a firm grip on it. "Someone is in the cargo wagons. I... I don't know if we should..."

"We have to go in," Victor enthused, stopping her. "But you have to stay here. Don't let anyone out of this wagon, and try to keep everyone calm. There's a chance whoever is in there..."

"Pushed Lilia off the train, I know. I know! Where is Yakov?" she asked, anxiously. Victor blinked.

"In his compartment, asleep. Why?"

"Just... What are we supposed to tell him if he wakes up? What if he wants to...?"

"Whatever he wants is irrelevant, keep him away…. I don’t know what he would do. Keep everyone in their respective compartments, if at all possible. I imagine most people will be asleep. Take notice of anyone you see, just in case, and yell if you're in danger."

"I will, but Victor, you..."

"I have to go, she's my mother!"

 

There was no way of arguing with that, Yuuri guessed, even if it was the same reason Victor himself had given to keep Yakov away. As they passed a frightened but resolute Mila, he smiled to her, hoping to be reassuring.

 

If he was being honest, the chances of them finding Lilia were slim. If she hadn't been there earlier, it wasn't likely that she'd be there now. Victor had to know that too. But if there was even just the smallest of chances... Yuuri supposed he couldn't ask him to stay put.

#

The door at the end of the corridor opened with a creak that sounded much creepier than it had earlier, with daylight, and the air swirled around them as they stepped across the space between wagons to open the door to the next one. The cargo wagon.

Victor faltered, and Yuuri looked at him, concerned.

 

"Victor?" Yuuri asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. Victor swallowed, took a breath, and shook his head, grabbing the handle to the next wagon but not pulling it.

"I... nothing. Let's go."

"Spooky, isn't it?" Yuuri whispered with a touch of humor. "Don't worry, I promise not to jump out of the shadows and scare you."

"Haha, very funny," even with just the light of the flashlight, Yuuri could tell Victor was blushing a little. "It's just... I know you must have seen countless mysteries, and criminals, and all of that, but I don't really know what to expect."

"Do you want me to go first?" he offered.

"... I can't. I have to..." Victor let go of the handle, raking that hand through his hair and looking conflicted.

"Here," Yuuri took the flashlight from him, and held Victor's hand. "I'll carry this. We’ll have to keep quiet now, any noise can be information. If you see anything, squeeze my hand. If we see a person, we’ll try to stop them. Whatever you see, though, don't do anything reckless. If they're armed, we hide. How about that?"

"G-got it."

 

Yuuri would have wanted to comfort him further, but they had no time to lose. He brought their now joined hands to the freezing handle, turned it, and then they stepped inside.

 

It was darker than the other wagons, considering they had only one flashlight and there were no windows. The snow coming from the outside pooled around their feet after they closed the door and started to melt, but they paid it no mind, instead focusing on what they could see. They took inventory of the boxes around them. Yuuri examined as much as he could without moving, trying to remember the disposition of the cargo from before, counting boxes in silence. Then he tugged on Victor's hand to move forward.

 

The first few steps startled them both, as the floor wasn't carpeted, and their shoes made a louder noise than they were expecting. After a second, however, they stopped paying attention as they continued their investigation. Yuuri took a few more steps, and while Victor almost walked into the corner of a pile of boxes, they both made it to the other end safely.

 

"There's no one here," Yuuri mused to himself, and Victor shrugged. His fingers were clasped tightly around Yuuri’s, and he suspected it was an attempt to not start trembling.

"There are two more wagons ahead, though. It could be any of those."

"Yes. Let's keep moving."

Victor entered the next wagon first, this time more resolute than before, and Yuuri followed him. As the door closed behind him, however, he was quick to avert the flashlight from the patch of floor it was illuminating. Victor's hold on his hand tightened even more, if possible, and when he spoke, his voice was hoarse. When Yuuri looked at him, he looked like he could throw up any minute. The shadows kept most of his face dark, but his eyes were glossy, and unfocused, and Yuuri turned off the flashlight altogether.

"Yuu—"

"Shh," he indicated, squeezing his hand back. “Don’t look.” 

They didn’t even know if… With a slimmer of hope, Yuuri turned the light on again, and walked around, searching around them for possible attackers. At this point, there _had_ to be someone… 

 

He examined the rest of the wagon, and only once he was sure they were alone did he return the light to the floor in front of the door. He sighed. The silence around them was such that when Victor swallowed, Yuuri was able to hear it. 

 

On the floor, near the entrance, laid the body of a man. It was laying face down, and wore heavy clothes, which made it impossible to discern who he was at first sight. One of his arms was bent the wrong way, and when Yuuri took a few steps closer, he realized his neck was bent as well. He grimaced. Victor fidgeted by his side, slipping his hand out of Yuuri's for a moment to tuck his hair behind his ear. When he took it again, his fingers were cold, and trembling. Yuuri’s were too, though he supposed it was more thanks to the adrenaline rush than fear. This kind of scene wasn’t unfamiliar to him, but he had never expected to find a dead body in this train, with Victor by his side. The impulse to protect him was almost overpowering, and he squeezed his hand again, wishing this was all just a bad dream. That this entire day could start over.

"Is he...?" Victor whispered, startling Yuuri. He shrugged, crouching and trying to find the pulse on his neck, but it wasn’t there. After a minute, he sighed and stood up again.

"I think so... There's no one else here, though. Whoever did this, must be in the next car."

"The mail wagon..."

"You don't have to go in there, Victor." Yuuri murmured. "This man is still warm. Whoever did this has to be there, and no one is in the right frame of mind after murdering someone. This isn't like dealing with just any passenger."

"And you? I can't leave you alone! No, I’m going with you," he enthused, and Yuuri didn’t argue.

"Do you have arms in the train?" he asked instead. 

"What? No!" Victor looked visibly appalled.

"Keep yourself together!" Yuuri urged him. "Think. Anything we can use to protect ourselves?"

"The coal shovel, maybe," Victor answered, shakily. "Hang on… I’ll call Mila."

 

Going back would mean separating, and Yuuri wasn’t sure exactly how he intended to call Mila. However, and while Yuuri hadn't seen many of those, he knew what it was when Victor walked up the cabinet and took it from the top right drawer. He focused the light on it, even if slightly weary of letting the corpse out of sight.

 

"A handy-talkie*," he murmured with appreciation. Victor nodded, and pressed the button.

"Victor to Mila, over."

"Will she hear it?"

"I hope so. There's one in every wagon, conveniently close to the heaters."

"Mila here, Victor, are you alright? Over," the device answered soon enough, and Yuuri nodded.

"Go on."

"Bring us two coal shovels to the second cargo wagon, hurry. The first wagon is safe, over."

"Got it, over and out."

 

Victor returned the device to the cabinet, and Yuuri sighed, eyeing the door to the mail wagon.

 

"Who is this, anyway?" Victor whispered, coming closer to the dead man again.

"No idea. It's best not to touch him for now. Once we make sure it's safe in here, I'd like to ask Christophe to take some pictures, if that's alright, before we move him."

"Good idea."

"Victor!" a voice called, opening the door. Yuuri turned off the light, blocking the body from view. "Here, I brought the shovels. What's going on?" Mila tried to peek around them, but Yuuri didn’t move.

"We'll tell you when it's safe. For now, go back to your post and don't let anyone out of these wagons until we go back," he answered, before Victor could. "If at all possible, lock the door to the wagons with passengers."

"I..."

"Do as he says, Mila," Victor pleaded, turning her around before she saw the body.

"What's going on, Victor?"

"Please. I beg of you, give us a few moments. I will explain everything once we're safe," he begged, and she finally relented, begrudgingly.

"I don't like how you're pushing us out, Victor."

"I know. But..."

"It's a good sentiment, Mila, trust me. But that’s only useful if both of you are still alive later to discuss it. Please," Yuuri enthused, and it seemed to be the wrong choice of words.

"What...?!" she looked at him, and now she looked scared.

"Later," Yuuri promised. "We need you to make sure no one escapes from these wagons, Mila."

"... fine. You both better come back safe and sound, or I'm telling Yakov!"

 

It was kind of funny, Yuuri thought to himself, how that seemed to carry an air of finality, when in fact Yakov wouldn't be able to do anything if either Victor or Yuuri got killed here. In any case, it seemed to help Mila get herself together, and they watched her go. As she closed the door behind her, they turned around to face each other. Yuuri turned on the flashlight again.

 

"I hope she doesn't think that I..." Victor started, but it wasn’t the moment. Yuuri shook his head.

"She'll understand later. Come on," he picked one of the shovels from Victor. They were heavier than they looked, but... "These won't stop a bullet, I don’t think,” he admitted. “But I don't think the attacker had a firearm anyway. The victim isn't bleeding, and the clothes seem intact."

"Right..."

"Ready?"

"As I'll ever be, I supposed…" Victor shrugged.

They crossed the room in a few quick steps, and Yuuri threw the door open before they could doubt themselves. As they both jumped into the next wagon, he covered the place with the light as quickly as he could. It scattered around the cabinets that covered the walls, and the packets on the floor that were too big to fit into the drawers. Victor made a confused sound.

 

"There's no one here!" he hissed. Yuuri shushed him, confused, taking a step forward. He let go of the door, but it didn’t close, and Victor didn’t seem to notice as he walked behind him.

"Don't speak too soon," Yuuri advised.

"Where could they be hiding? There's barely any mail..."

"But that... that doesn't make sense..."

"Maybe they were hiding in the room before? And we just didn't see them?" Victor asked, almost hopeful.

"No chance. All the boxes were in the same place as before, and we would have noticed if any were open," Yuuri replied.

"Y-yeah... But if they're not here, and they're not in the previous cars, and they couldn't have jumped off the train... Then where is whoever killed that man?"

Victor’s voice was now trembling a little, and when he finished, Yuuri shook his head, just as confused as him. People couldn’t just disappear, and while it wasn’t the first time he faced a locked-room case, it was the first time he did in a place where the killer, clearly, couldn’t have simply ran away. There were too many people in the way. Victor and Yuuri, Mila, Otabek… No, that couldn’t be!

 

Yuuri crossed the wagon, disoriented with how empty it was, still looking around for an attacker, and opened the opposite door. On the other side of it there was only the railway, which they were leaving behind at an impressive pace. It didn’t seem possible to jump without injuring oneself, and when looking into the distance, Yuuri was unable to spot anything resembling a person. No traces of snow were on the inside, however, which told them no one had opened that door before. As Yuuri closed it, he turned around to look at Victor. He pointed the flashlight to the ceiling, bathing the place in a soft but eerie light.

 

They looked at each other, dumbfounded. The snow had started to fly into the mail wagon from the door they'd left open, but there weren’t signs of previous water on the floor, and they shivered as they realized what that meant. This door, no… this entire wagon hadn’t been entered before they came in.

 

Whoever it was, they were still in the train... and had managed to fool them, one way or another.

****

#  **END OF ACT ONE**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Name of an old model of a walkie talkie, not a typo ;)
> 
> #
> 
> This is it guys. This is act 1. 
> 
> I'm both equally sorry for the cliffhanger, and also super proud of how it came out. What do you guys think? :D
> 
> Update on act 2! I am currently (24/11/18) writing it, I have a bit more than half of it. Once it's finished, I'll take a little time to edit it, and start posting as soon as I can. The idea right now is to have it all finished by mid-December, and start posting by late January 2019.
> 
> This might change depending on my school obligations, and such. The best way to know how it's going is to follow me either on tumblr or any other social media, and send an ask my way! (Links in the end-of-work notes, or my profile). If you don't mind waiting, but still want to make sure you don't miss it, make sure you subscribe to the series to get notified when I start posting Act 2!
> 
> Writing this for Live and Love YoI Big Bang has been a _blast_. I absolutely didn't expect to have so much fun with this AU, but it's been amazing, it still is, and I'm so excited to finish the rest of the story so you guys can read it too!
> 
> A million hugs to everyone who's read so far, and I hope to see you in the next act!!!
> 
> ❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎
> 
> UPDATE MARCH 2019  
> So... I know. Long time no see. ^^;;  
> In my defense, I have been doing things!! I have finished the entire first draft of the story!!!!  
> I finished it two weeks ago, and I'm taking a breather between that and editing it. Editing shouldn't take as long as writing did, but at this point, and with my graduation from college looming in the horizon, I don't want to make any definite promises. I _do_ promise to post it eventually, though, so for those of you who are still waiting for this: thank you _so_ much, your patience will be rewarded.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you've enjoyed my story :D
> 
> If you did, please consider leaving kudos or a comment, they're greatly appreciated! If you want to yell with me and share more headcanons for these two dorks, you can find me at my tumblr, [kyokotsukuyomi](http://kyokotsukuyomi.tumblr.com/), the comments section down below, or any of the links in my profile. The lovely artist who did the art for this fic is Dyeingdoll, you can find her on her [tumblr](https://dyeingdoll.tumblr.com/)! Don't be shy!
> 
> Love,
> 
> ~Lena


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